Genetic relationships between clinical and environmental Vibrio cholerae isolates based on multilocus enzyme electrophoresis

gbpA and chiA genes are not uniformly distributed amongst diverse Vibrio cholerae

Members of the bacterial genus Vibrio utilize chitin both as a metabolic substrate and a signal to activate natural competence. Vibrio cholerae is a bacterial enteric pathogen, sub-lineages of which can cause pandemic cholera. However, the chitin metabolic pathway in V. cholerae has been dissected using only a limited number of laboratory strains of this species. Here, we survey the complement of key chitin metabolism genes amongst 195 diverse V. cholerae. We show that the gene encoding GbpA, known to be an important colonization and virulence factor in pandemic isolates, is not ubiquitous amongst V. cholerae. We also identify a putatively novel chitinase, and present experimental evidence in support of its functionality. Our data indicate that the chitin metabolic pathway within V. cholerae is more complex than previously thought, and emphasize the importance of considering genes and functions in the context of a species in its entirety, rather than simply relying on traditional reference strains.

Neuroinfección por Vibrio cholerae no O1/ no O139 secundaria a la derivación ventriculoperitoneal. Reporte de caso

La infección de la derivación ventriculoperitoneal es una de las complicaciones más frecuentes en este procedimiento. Vibrio cholerae O1 y O139 es una bacteria gram negativa conocida principalmente por ser la responsable del cólera epidémico. No obstante, existen serotipos no O1/no O139 capaces de causar afecciones extraintestinales, entre ellas se han reportado casos de neuroinfección. Presentamos el caso de una paciente con 9 meses de edad que posterior a la colocación de una derivación ventriculoperitoneal como tratamiento de hidrocefalia obstructiva congénita, presentó un cuadro de neuroinfección y el síndrome de malfunción valvular; se pudo aislar la Vibrio cholerae no O1/ no O139 en el líquido cefalorraquídeo y en la punta del catéter. Es el primer reporte en la literatura en la que se aísla la Vibrio cholerae no O1/ no O139 en líquido cefalorraquídeo secundario a infección de una derivación ventriculoperitoneal.

The role of Vibrio cholerae genotyping in Africa

Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the disease cholera, is prevalent in the African continent from the 1970s when the seventh pandemic spread from Asia to Africa. In the past decade, cholera has caused devastating outbreaks in much of Africa, illustrated by the recent cholera epidemics in Zimbabwe and regions of central Africa. Given the extent of cholera in Africa, a robust and efficient surveillance system should be in place to prevent and control the disease in this continent. Such a surveillance system would be greatly bolstered by use of molecular typing techniques to identify genetic subtypes. In this review, we highlight the role that modern molecular typing techniques can play in tracking and aborting the spread of cholera.

Genetic relatedness of clinical and environmental Vibrio cholerae isolates based on triple housekeeping gene analysis

Sequence analysis of dnaE, hlyA, and asd housekeeping genes were used to determine the genetic relatedness of our collection of Vibrio cholerae isolated from patients and surface waters over a 5-year period in Iran. The results showed 41, 17, and 9 variable sites throughout the sequenced fragments of dnaE (837 bp), hlyA (495 bp), and asd (295 bp), respectively. The results from sequence typing showed that all our clinical isolates were grouped in the same cluster. Eleven genotypes were identified among the environmental isolates. One environmental isolate was found to be in close genetic relatedness with our clinical isolates. One V. cholerae isolate showed a single-locus variant in the dnaE. For each of the studied genetic loci 10, 7, and 7 sequence types were observed for dnaE, hlyA, and asd, respectively. Only asd sequence analysis could make the distinction between the classical and El Tor isolates which emphasizes on selection of housekeeping locus with better discrimination power for analysis of different groups of isolates. Overall, the results indicated that surface waters in Tehran are a pool of non-toxigenic V. cholerae strains which are rarely related to clinical toxigenic isolates. In addition, our results verified that housekeeping gene sequence analysis could be a suitable approach for determination of the relatedness between clinical and environmental V. cholerae isolates.

Genetic relationships between clinical and non-clinical strains of Yersinia enterocolitica biovar 1A as revealed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and multilocus restriction typing

Background

Genetic relationships among 81 strains of Y. enterocolitica biovar 1A isolated from clinical and non-clinical sources were discerned by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) and multilocus restriction typing (MLRT) using six loci each. Such studies may reveal associations between the genotypes of the strains and their sources of isolation.

Results

All loci were polymorphic and generated 62 electrophoretic types (ETs) and 12 restriction types (RTs). The mean genetic diversity (H) of the strains by MLEE and MLRT was 0.566 and 0.441 respectively. MLEE (DI = 0.98) was more discriminatory and clustered Y. enterocolitica biovar 1A strains into four groups, while MLRT (DI = 0.77) identified two distinct groups. BURST (Based Upon Related Sequence Types) analysis of the MLRT data suggested aquatic serotype O:6,30-6,31 isolates to be the ancestral strains from which, clinical O:6,30-6,31 strains might have originated by host adaptation and genetic change.

Conclusion

MLEE revealed greater genetic diversity among strains of Y. enterocolitica biovar 1A and clustered strains in four groups, while MLRT grouped the strains into two groups. BURST analysis of MLRT data nevertheless provided newer insights into the probable evolution of clinical strains from aquatic strains.

Comparative genomics reveals mechanism for short-term and long-term clonal transitions in pandemic Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is a bacterium autochthonous to the aquatic environment, and a serious public health threat. V. cholerae serogroup O1 is responsible for the previous two cholera pandemics, in which classical and El Tor biotypes were dominant in the sixth and the current seventh pandemics, respectively. Cholera researchers continually face newly emerging and reemerging pathogenic clones carrying diverse combinations of phenotypic and genotypic properties, which significantly hampered control of the disease. To elucidate evolutionary mechanisms governing genetic diversity of pandemic V. cholerae, we compared the genome sequences of 23 V. cholerae strains isolated from a variety of sources over the past 98 years. The genome-based phylogeny revealed 12 distinct V. cholerae lineages, of which one comprises both O1 classical and El Tor biotypes. All seventh pandemic clones share nearly identical gene content. Using analogy to influenza virology, we define the transition from sixth to seventh pandemic strains as a "shift" between pathogenic clones belonging to the same O1 serogroup, but from significantly different phyletic lineages. In contrast, transition among clones during the present pandemic period is characterized as a "drift" between clones, differentiated mainly by varying composition of laterally transferred genomic islands, resulting in emergence of variants, exemplified by V. cholerae O139 and V. cholerae O1 El Tor hybrid clones. Based on the comparative genomics it is concluded that V. cholerae undergoes extensive genetic recombination via lateral gene transfer, and, therefore, genome assortment, not serogroup, should be used to define pathogenic V. cholerae clones.

Importation of the major pilin TcpA gene and frequent recombination drive the divergence of the Vibrio pathogenicity island in Vibrio cholerae

The Vibrio pathogenicity island (VPI) encodes the toxin-coregulated pilus and other virulence factors for Vibrio cholerae to colonize the human intestine to cause cholera. We assessed the level of genetic variation of VPI in nine nonpandemic isolates, and compared them with the sixth and seventh pandemic strains by sequencing c. 5 kb each from the start, middle and end regions of the VPI. Variation is similar among the three regions at around 2%, except for the tcpA gene, which has a much higher level of variation (23%). Numerous recombination segments were identified with sizes up to 2177 bp. Nearly all VPI genes sequenced have a ratio of synonymous to nonsynonymous substitutions considerably lower than that for housekeeping genes, suggesting that VPI genes are under positive selection pressure for change. The tagA gene was deleted or damaged in six isolates, which is likely to affect the efficiency of colonization of the human intestine. Two genes, orf2 and acfD, previously found to be translated differently in the sixth and seventh pandemic strains, were determined to be mutant in the seventh and sixth pandemic strains, respectively. These findings enhance our understanding of variation in the VPI, and of the pathogenic potential of VPI-positive environmental isolates.

Determination of relationships among non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor strains from housekeeping gene sequences and ribotype patterns

Sequencing of three housekeeping genes, mdh, dnaE and recA, and ribotyping for seven non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated from different geographic sources indicate a phylogenetic relationship among the strains. Results of MLST and ribotyping indicate a clear difference between three toxigenic strains (N16961, O395, and 569B) and three non-toxigenic strains from India (GS1, GS2, and GW87) and one Guam strain (X392), the latter of which were similar in both MLST and ribotyping, while two other non-toxigenic strains from the USA and India (2740-80 and OR69) appeared to be more closely related to toxigenic strains than to non-toxigenic strains, although this was not supported by ribotyping. These results provide clues to the emergence of toxigenic strains from a non-toxigenic progenitor by acquisition of virulence gene clusters. Results of split decomposition analysis suggest that widespread recombination occurs among the three housekeeping genes and that recombination plays an important role in the emergence of toxigenic strains of V. cholerae O1.

Serogroup conversion of Vibrio cholerae in aquatic reservoirs

The environmental reservoirs for Vibrio cholerae are natural aquatic habitats, where it colonizes the chitinous exoskeletons of copepod molts. Growth of V. cholerae on a chitin surface induces competence for natural transformation, a mechanism for intra-species gene exchange. The antigenically diverse O-serogroup determinants of V. cholerae are encoded by a genetically variable biosynthetic cluster of genes that is flanked on either side by chromosomal regions that are conserved between different serogroups. To determine whether this genomic motif and chitin-induced natural transformation might enable the exchange of serogroup-specific gene clusters between different O serogroups of V. cholerae, a strain of V. cholerae O1 El Tor was co-cultured with a strain of V. cholerae O139 Bengal within a biofilm on the same chitin surface immersed in seawater, and O1-to-O139 transformants were obtained. Serogroup conversion of the O1 recipient by the O139 donor was demonstrated by comparative genomic hybridization, biochemical and serological characterization of the O-antigenic determinant, and resistance of O1-to-O139 transformants to bacteriolysis by a virulent O1-specific phage. Serogroup conversion was shown to have occurred as a single-step exchange of large fragments of DNA. Crossovers were localized to regions of homology common to other V. cholerae serogroups that flank serogroup-specific encoding sequences. This result and the successful serogroup conversion of an O1 strain by O37 genomic DNA indicate that chitin-induced natural transformation might be a common mechanism for serogroup conversion in aquatic habitats and for the emergence of V. cholerae variants that are better adapted for survival in environmental niches or more pathogenic for humans.

The reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae are aquatic environments, where it attaches to the chitin-containing shells of small crustaceans. Chitin serves as a nutrient for V. cholerae and it induces natural transformation, a process by which it acquires new genes from other microbes in the same habitat. The most compelling consequence of a V. cholerae gene acquisition event occurred in 1992 when a vast cholera epidemic erupted in India and Bangladesh and spread through Asia. Genetic analysis showed that this outbreak was due to the acquisition of a gene cluster that converted the ancestral V. cholerae O1 El Tor serogroup to an entirely new serogroup, designated O139 Bengal. This report shows that acquisition of the O139 gene cluster by an O1 El Tor strain can be mediated by natural transformation and that this can occur within a community of bacteria living on a chitin surface. The O139 derivatives of this transformation event were not killed by bacteriophages that attack O1 strains, explaining in part why O139 strains have replaced O1 strains in some Asian water sources. These results also illustrate how a combination of genetic and ecological factors can lead to the emergence of new pathogenic microbes in environmental reservoirs.

Detection and transformation of genome segments that differ within a coastal population of Vibrio cholerae strains

Vibrio cholerae is an autochthonous member of diverse aquatic ecosystems around the globe. Collectively, the genomes of environmental V. cholerae strains comprise a large repository of encoded functions which can be acquired by individual V. cholerae lineages through uptake and recombination. To characterize the genomic diversity of environmental V. cholerae, we used comparative genome hybridization to study 41 environmental strains isolated from diverse habitats along the central California coast, a region free of endemic cholera. These data were used to classify genes of the epidemic V. cholerae O1 sequenced strain N16961 as conserved, variably present, or absent from the isolates. For the most part, absent genes were restricted to large mobile elements and have known functions in pathogenesis. Conversely, genes present in some, but not all, California isolates were in smaller contiguous clusters and were less likely to be near genes with functions in DNA mobility. Two such clusters of variable genes encoding different selectable metabolic phenotypes (mannose and diglucosamine utilization) were transformed into the genomes of environmental isolates by chitin-dependent competence, indicating that this mechanism of general genetic exchange is conserved among V. cholerae. The transformed DNA had an average size of 22.7 kbp, demonstrating that natural competence can mediate the movement of large chromosome fragments. Thus, whether variable genes arise through the acquisition of new sequences by horizontal gene transfer or by the loss of preexisting DNA though deletion, natural transformation provides a mechanism by which V. cholerae clones can gain access to the V. cholerae pan-genome.

Evolutionary genetic analysis of the emergence of epidemic Vibrio cholerae isolates on the basis of comparative nucleotide sequence analysis and multilocus virulence gene profiles

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is a natural inhabitant of the aquatic ecosystem. We examined a unique collection of V. cholerae clinical and environmental isolates of widespread geographic distribution recovered over a 60-year period to determine their evolutionary genetic relationships based on analysis of two housekeeping genes, malate dehydrogenase (mdh) and a chaperonin (groEL). In addition, the phylogenetic distribution of 12 regions associated with virulence was determined. Comparative sequence analysis of mdh revealed that all V. cholerae O1 and O139 serogroup isolates belonged to the same clonal lineage. Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of these O1 and O139 strains at groEL confirmed the presence of an epidemic clonal complex. Of the 12 virulence regions examined, only three regions, Vibrio seventh pandemic island 1 (VSP-I), VSP-II, and RS1, were absent from all classical V. cholerae isolates. Most V. cholerae El Tor biotype and O139 serogroup isolates examined encoded all 12 virulence regions assayed. Outside of V. cholerae O1/O139 serogroup isolates, only one strain, VO7, contained VSP-I. Two V. cholerae El Tor isolates, GP155 and 2164-78, lacked both VSP-I and VSP-II, and one El Tor isolate, GP43, lacked VSP-II. Five non-O1/non-O139 serogroup isolates had an mdh sequence identical to that of the epidemic O1 and O139 strains. These isolates, similar to classical strains, lack both VSP-I and VSP-II. Four of the 12 virulence regions examined were found to be present in all isolates: hlyA, pilE, MSHA and RTX. Among non-O1/non-O139 isolates, however, the occurrence of the additional eight regions was considerably lower. The evolutionary relationships and multilocus virulence gene profiles of V. cholerae natural isolates indicate that consecutive pandemic strains arose from a common O1 serogroup progenitor through the successive acquisition of new virulence regions.

Biodiversity of vibrios

Vibrios are ubiquitous and abundant in the aquatic environment. A high abundance of vibrios is also detected in tissues and/or organs of various marine algae and animals, e.g., abalones, bivalves, corals, fish, shrimp, sponges, squid, and zooplankton. Vibrios harbour a wealth of diverse genomes as revealed by different genomic techniques including amplified fragment length polymorphism, multilocus sequence typing, repetetive extragenic palindrome PCR, ribotyping, and whole-genome sequencing. The 74 species of this group are distributed among four different families, i.e., Enterovibrionaceae, Photobacteriaceae, Salinivibrionaceae, and Vibrionaceae. Two new genera, i.e., Enterovibrio norvegicus and Grimontia hollisae, and 20 novel species, i.e., Enterovibrio coralii, Photobacterium eurosenbergii, V. brasiliensis, V. chagasii, V. coralliillyticus, V. crassostreae, V. fortis, V. gallicus, V. hepatarius, V. hispanicus, V. kanaloaei, V. neonatus, V. neptunius, V. pomeroyi, V. pacinii, V. rotiferianus, V. superstes, V. tasmaniensis, V. ezurae, and V. xuii, have been described in the last few years. Comparative genome analyses have already revealed a variety of genomic events, including mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, loss of genes by decay or deletion, and gene acquisitions through duplication or horizontal transfer (e.g., in the acquisition of bacteriophages, pathogenicity islands, and super-integrons), that are probably important driving forces in the evolution and speciation of vibrios. Whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomics through the application of, e.g., microarrays will facilitate the investigation of the gene repertoire at the species level. Based on such new genomic information, the taxonomy and the species concept for vibrios will be reviewed in the next years.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Aeromonas hydrophila, Aer. bestiarum, Aer. salmonicida and Aer. popoffii by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE)

Genetic diversity, genetic relationship, identification and population structure of 120 Aeromonas strains (including Aer. hydrophila, Aer. bestiarum, Aer. salmonicida and Aer. popoffii) isolated from various sources were studied by analysis of 15 genetic loci by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE). All 15 loci were polymorphic, with an average of 9.4 alleles per locus and a mean genetic diversity (H) of 0.64. Cluster analysis defined at H < or = 0.7 differentiated most of the taxa analysed except the Aer. popoffii and Aer. bestiarum strains, which showed a close genetic relationship. Allelic frequencies of five loci (EST1, HEX, IDH, LDH1 and MDH) identified 94% of the strains. The index of association (IA) for the total sample was 2.38 and IA values calculated for the different populations were always significantly different from zero. These results suggest that the population structure of this Aeromonas sample is strongly clonal, confirm the taxonomic status of the analysed species in population genetics terms, and show the usefulness of MLEE for identifying Aeromonas species.

Clonal population structure of Pseudomonas avellanae strains of different origin based on multilocus enzyme electrophoresis

To assess the genetic diversity and genetic relationships ofPseudomonas avellanae, the causative agent of hazelnut decline, a total of 102 strains, obtained from central Italy (provinces of Viterbo and Rome) and northern Greece, were studied using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE). Their allelic variation in 10 loci was determined. All loci were polymorphic and 53 electrophoretic types (ETs) were identified from the total sample. The mean genetic diversity (H) was 0·65 and this value ranged from 0·37 for the least polymorphic to 0·82 for the most polymorphic locus. The dendrogram originated from MLEE data indicated two main groups of ETs, A and B. The groups do not appear to be correlated to the geographic origin of the strains, although all the ETs from northern Greece clustered into subgroup B1.Pseudomonas syringaepv.actinidiaeandP. syringaepv.theae, included in the analysis as outgroups, clustered apart. The index of association (IA) forP. avellanaewas 0·90. TheIAvalues were always significantly different from zero for the population subsets studied and no epidemic structure was found. These results would indicate that the population structure ofP. avellanaeis clonal either in northern Greece or in central Italy. The recent outbreaks of the bacterium in new areas of hazelnut cultivation would explain the current clonal structure that is persisting over decades.

Genomic diversity of clinical and environmental Vibrio cholerae strains isolated in Brazil between 1991 and 2001 as revealed by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis

Vibrio cholerae is a ubiquitous and abundant organism in aquatic environments, particularly in coastal areas, estuaries, and rivers. This organism was the cause of a considerable number of deaths in Brazil during the last decade. In this study we applied the genomic fingerprinting technique fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) to analyze 106 V. cholerae O1 and non-O1 and non-O139 strains isolated from clinical specimens and the environment between 1991 and 2001. Numerical analysis of the FAFLP patterns disclosed seven main groups of genomes, all of them originated from a variety of different places in different years, suggesting that V. cholerae is a very diverse species. O1 and non-O1 and non-O139 strains were distinguishable by FAFLP, although clinical and environmental strains clustered together in a few cases. The persistence of some strains of highly related genomes during several years and in completely different geographical regions suggests that these strains are highly successful in adapting to changing environmental conditions.

Multilocus sequence typing has better discriminatory ability for typing Vibrio cholerae than does pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and provides a measure of phylogenetic relatedness

Twenty-two Vibrio cholerae isolates, including some from "epidemic" (O1 and O139) and "nonepidemic" serogroups, were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) by using three housekeeping genes, gyrB, pgm, and recA; sequence data were also obtained for the virulence-associated genes tcpA, ctxA, and ctxB. Even with the small number of loci used, MLST had better discriminatory ability than did PFGE. On MLST analysis, there was clear clustering of epidemic serogroups; much greater diversity was seen among tcpA- and ctxAB-positive V. cholerae strains from other, nonepidemic serogroups, with a number of tcpA and ctxAB alleles identified.

Emergence and evolution of Vibrio cholerae O139

The emergence of Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal during 1992-1993 was associated with large epidemics of cholera in India and Bangladesh and, initially, with a total displacement of the existing V. cholerae O1 strains. However, the O1 strains reemerged in 1994 and initiated a series of disappearance and reemergence of either of the two serogroups that was associated with temporal genetic and phenotypic changes sustained by the strains. Since the initial emergence of the O139 vibrios, new variants of the pathogen derived from multiple progenitors have been isolated and characterized. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of these strains have been studied. Rapid genetic reassortment in O139 strains appears to be a response to the changing epidemiology of V. cholerae O1 and also a strategy for persistence in competition with strains of the O1 serogroup. The emergence of V. cholerae O139 has provided a unique opportunity to witness genetic changes in V. cholerae that may be associated with displacement of an existing serogroup by a newly emerging one and, thus, provide new insights into the epidemiology of cholera. The genetic changes and natural selection involving both environmental and host factors are likely to influence profoundly the genetics, epidemiology, and evolution of toxigenic V. cholerae, not only in the Ganges Delta region of India and Bangladesh, but also in other areas of endemic and epidemic cholera.

Genomic profiles of clinical and environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae O1 in cholera-endemic areas of Bangladesh

Diversity, relatedness, and ecological interactions of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 populations in two distinctive habitats, the human intestine and the aquatic environment, were analyzed. Twenty environmental isolates and 42 clinical isolates were selected for study by matching serotype, geographic location of isolation in Bangladesh, and season of isolation. Genetic profiling was done by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence-PCR, optimized for profiling by using the fully sequenced V. cholerae El Tor N16961 genome. Five significant clonal clusters of haplotypes were found from 57 electrophoretic types. Isolates from different areas or habitats intermingled in two of the five significant clusters. Frequencies of haplotypes differed significantly only between the environmental populations (exact test; P < 0.05). Analysis of molecular variance yielded a population genetic structure reflecting the differentiating effects of geographic area, habitat, and sampling time. Although a parameter confounding the latter differences explained 9% of the total molecular variance in the entire population (P < 0.01), the net effect of habitat and time could not be separated because of the small number of environmental isolates included in the study. Five subpopulations from a single area were determined, and from these we were able to estimate a relative differentiating effect of habitat, which was small compared with the effect of temporal change. In conclusion, the resulting population structure supports the hypothesis that spatial and temporal fluctuations in the composition of toxigenic V. cholerae populations in the aquatic environment can cause shifts in the dynamics of the disease.

Intraspecific diversity of Brevibacterium linens, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Rhodococcus erythropolis based on partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy

The intraspecific diversity of 31 strains of Brevibacterium linens, 27 strains of Corynebacterium glutamicum and 29 strains of Rhodococcus erythropolis was determined by partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. As a prerequisite for the analyses, 27 strains derived from culture collections which had carried invalid or wrong species designations were reclassified in accordance with polyphasic taxonomical data. FT-IR spectroscopy proved to be a rapid and reliable method for screening for similar isolates and for identifying these actinomycetes at the species level. Two main conclusions emerged from the analyses. (1) Comparison of intraspecific 16S rDNA similarities suggested that R. erythropolis strains have a very low diversity, B. linens displays high diversity and C. glutamicum occupies an intermediate position. (2) No correlation of FT-IR spectral similarity and 16S rDNA sequence similarity below the species level (i.e. between strains of one species) was observed. Therefore, diversification of 16S rDNA sequences and microevolutionary change of the cellular components detected by FT-IR spectroscopy appear to be de-coupled.

Allelic diversity and population structure in Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal based on nucleotide sequence analysis

Comparative analysis of gene fragments of six housekeeping loci, distributed around the two chromosomes of Vibrio cholerae, has been carried out for a collection of 29 V. cholerae O139 Bengal strains isolated from India during the first epidemic period (1992 to 1993). A toxigenic O1 ElTor strain from the seventh pandemic and an environmental non-O1/non-O139 strain were also included in this study. All loci studied were polymorphic, with a small number of polymorphic sites in the sequenced fragments. The genetic diversity determined for our O139 population is concordant with a previous multilocus enzyme electrophoresis study in which we analyzed the same V. cholerae O139 strains. In both studies we have found a higher genetic diversity than reported previously in other molecular studies. The results of the present work showed that O139 strains clustered in several lineages of the dendrogram generated from the matrix of allelic mismatches between the different genotypes, a finding which does not support the hypothesis previously reported that the O139 serogroup is a unique clone. The statistical analysis performed in the V. cholerae O139 isolates suggested a clonal population structure. Moreover, the application of the Sawyer's test and split decomposition to detect intragenic recombination in the sequenced gene fragments did not indicate the existence of recombination in our O139 population.

Clonal population structure of Pseudomonas stutzeri, a species with exceptional genetic diversity

Genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 42 Pseudomonas stutzeri strains belonging to several genomovars and isolated from different sources were investigated in an examination of 20 metabolic enzymes by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis analysis. Forty-two distinct allele profiles were identified, indicating that all multilocus genotypes were represented by a single strain. All 20 loci were exceptionally polymorphic, with an average of 15.9 alleles per locus. To the best of our knowledge, this P. stutzeri sample exhibited the highest mean genetic diversity (H = 0.876) found to date in all bacterial species studied by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. A high frequency of occurrence of null alleles was identified. The index of association (I(A)) for the P. stutzeri strains analyzed was 1.10. The I(A) values were always significantly different from zero for all subgroups studied, including clinical and environmental isolates and strains classified as genomovar 1. These results suggest that the population structure of P. stutzeri is strongly clonal, indicating that there is no significant level of assortative recombination that might destroy linkage disequilibrium.