Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Nat Microbiol. 2019 Nov;4(11):1941-1950. doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0501-y. Epub 2019 Jul 29.
The sexually transmitted pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae is regarded as being on the way to becoming an untreatable superbug. Despite its clinical importance, little is known about its emergence and evolution, and how this corresponds with the introduction of antimicrobials. We present a genome-based phylogeographical analysis of 419 gonococcal isolates from across the globe. Results indicate that modern gonococci originated in Europe or Africa, possibly as late as the sixteenth century and subsequently disseminated globally. We provide evidence that the modern gonococcal population has been shaped by antimicrobial treatment of sexually transmitted infections as well as other infections, leading to the emergence of two major lineages with different evolutionary strategies. The well-described multidrug-resistant lineage is associated with high rates of homologous recombination and infection in high-risk sexual networks. A second, multisusceptible lineage is more associated with heterosexual networks, with potential implications for infection control.
性传播病原体淋病奈瑟菌（Neisseria gonorrhoeae）被认为正朝着无法治愈的超级细菌方向发展。尽管其具有重要的临床意义，但人们对其出现和进化知之甚少，也不了解这与抗生素的引入有何关联。我们对来自全球的 419 株淋病奈瑟菌分离株进行了基于基因组的系统地理学分析。结果表明，现代淋病奈瑟菌起源于欧洲或非洲，可能晚至 16 世纪，随后在全球传播。我们提供的证据表明，现代淋病奈瑟菌种群受到治疗性传播感染和其他感染的抗生素治疗的影响，导致具有不同进化策略的两个主要谱系的出现。具有良好描述的多药耐药谱系与高危性网络中的高同源重组和感染率有关。第二个多药敏感谱系与异性恋网络更相关，这可能对感染控制具有重要意义。
