Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, 02142, MA, USA.
Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 18;12(1):6688. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27005-0.
While emerging fungi threaten global biodiversity, the paucity of fungal genome assemblies impedes thoroughly characterizing epidemics and developing effective mitigation strategies. Here, we generate de novo genomic assemblies for six outbreaks of the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). We reveal the European epidemic currently damaging amphibian populations to comprise multiple, highly divergent lineages demonstrating isolate-specific adaptations and metabolic capacities. In particular, we show extensive gene family expansions and acquisitions, through a variety of evolutionary mechanisms, and an isolate-specific saprotrophic lifecycle. This finding both explains the chytrid's ability to divorce transmission from host density, producing Bsal's enigmatic host population declines, and is a key consideration in developing successful mitigation measures.
虽然新兴真菌威胁着全球生物多样性，但真菌基因组组装的缺乏阻碍了对流行病的彻底描述和制定有效的缓解策略。在这里，我们为六种新兴病原体蛙壶菌（Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans，Bsal）的爆发生成了从头开始的基因组组装。我们揭示了目前正在破坏两栖动物种群的欧洲流行病，该流行病由多个高度分化的谱系组成，这些谱系表现出特定于分离株的适应性和代谢能力。特别是，我们通过各种进化机制显示了广泛的基因家族扩张和获得，以及一个分离株特异性的腐生生活周期。这一发现不仅解释了这种壶菌将传播与宿主密度分离的能力，从而导致 Bsal 神秘的宿主种群减少，也是制定成功缓解措施的关键考虑因素。
