Yersinia pestis pFra shows biovar-specific differences and recent common ancestry with a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi plasmid.
Population genetic studies suggest that Yersinia pestis, the cause of plague, is a clonal pathogen that has recently emerged from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Plasmid acquisition is likely to have been a key element in this evolutionary leap from an enteric to a flea-transmitted systemic pathogen. However, the origin of Y. pestis-specific plasmids remains obscure. We demonstrate specific plasmid rearrangements in different Y. pestis strains which distinguish Y. pestis bv. Orientalis strains from other biovars. We also present evidence for plasmid-associated DNA exchange between Y. pestis and the exclusively human pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi.
Prentice
M B
MB
Department of Medical Microbiology, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, United Kingdom. m.b.prentice@mds.qmw.ac.uk
James
K D
KD
Parkhill
J
J
Baker
S G
SG
Stevens
K
K
Simmonds
M N
MN
Mungall
K L
KL
Churcher
C
C
Oyston
P C
PC
Titball
R W
RW
Wren
B W
BW
Wain
J
J
Pickard
D
D
Hien
T T
TT
Farrar
J J
JJ
Dougan
G
G
D000818:Animals; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012485:Salmonella typhi / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial