Department of Molecular Evolution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Mol Ecol. 2010 Jun;19(11):2241-55. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04646.x. Epub 2010 May 6.
Bartonella is a genus of vector-borne bacteria that infect the red blood cells of mammals, and includes several human-specific and zoonotic pathogens. Bartonella grahamii has a wide host range and is one of the most prevalent Bartonella species in wild rodents. We studied the population structure, genome content and genome plasticity of a collection of 26 B. grahamii isolates from 11 species of wild rodents in seven countries. We found strong geographic patterns, high recombination frequencies and large variations in genome size in B. grahamii compared with previously analysed cat- and human-associated Bartonella species. The extent of sequence divergence in B. grahamii populations was markedly lower in Europe and North America than in Asia, and several recombination events were predicted between the Asian strains. We discuss environmental and demographic factors that may underlie the observed differences.
巴尔通体是一种经媒介传播的细菌属，感染哺乳动物的红细胞，包括几种人类特有的和人畜共患的病原体。贝氏疏螺旋体具有广泛的宿主范围，是野生啮齿动物中最常见的巴尔通体物种之一。我们研究了来自七个国家的 11 种野生啮齿动物的 26 株 B. grahamii 分离株的种群结构、基因组内容和基因组可塑性。与之前分析的猫和人相关的巴尔通体物种相比，我们发现 B. grahamii 具有强烈的地理模式、高重组频率和基因组大小的巨大差异。在欧洲和北美，B. grahamii 种群的序列分歧程度明显低于亚洲，并且预测了亚洲菌株之间的几个重组事件。我们讨论了可能导致观察到的差异的环境和人口因素。
