title: Marked microevolution of a unique Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain in 17 years of ongoing transmission in a high risk population.
abstract: The transmission and persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis within high risk populations is a threat to tuberculosis (TB) control. In the current study, we used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to decipher the transmission dynamics and microevolution of M. tuberculosis ON-A, an endemic strain responsible for an ongoing outbreak of TB in an urban homeless/under-housed population. Sixty-one M. tuberculosis isolates representing 57 TB cases from 1997 to 2013 were subjected to WGS. Sequencing data was integrated with available epidemiological information and analyzed to determine how the M. tuberculosis ON-A strain has evolved during almost two decades of active transmission. WGS offers higher discriminatory power than traditional genotyping techniques, dividing the M. tuberculosis ON-A strain into 6 sub-clusters, each defined by unique single nucleotide polymorphism profiles. One sub-cluster, designated ON-ANM (Natural Mutant; 26 isolates from 24 cases) was also defined by a large, 15 kb genomic deletion. WGS analysis reveals the existence of multiple transmission chains within the same population/setting. Our results help validate the utility of WGS as a powerful tool for identifying genomic changes and adaptation of M. tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mehaffy
authors.affiliation: Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.affiliation: Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory, Regina, Canada.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Toronto Public Health, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.affiliation: Toronto Public Health, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rea
authors.affiliation: Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Frances B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Jamieson
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*