title: Population structure of Neisseria gonorrhoeae based on whole genome data and its relationship with antibiotic resistance.
abstract: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) of major importance. As a result of antibiotic resistance, there are now limited options for treating patients. We collected draft genome sequence data and associated metadata data on 76 N. gonorrhoeae strains from around the globe and searched for known determinants of antibiotics resistance within the strains. The population structure and evolutionary forces within the pathogen population were analyzed. Our results indicated a cosmopolitan gonoccocal population mainly made up of five subgroups. The estimated ratio of recombination to mutation (r/m = 2.2) from our data set indicates an appreciable level of recombination occurring in the population. Strains with resistance phenotypes to more recent antibiotics (azithromycin and cefixime) were mostly found in two of the five population subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, GA , USA.
authors.forename: Matthew N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ezewudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, GA , USA.
authors.forename: Sandeep J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.affiliation: Programa de Genómica Evolutiva, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca, Morelos , México.
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castillo-Ramirez
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute , Oakland, CA , USA ; University of San Francisco at California, Division of Infectious Diseases , San Francisco, CA , USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, GA , USA ; Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University , Atlanta, GA , USA.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Del Rio
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Didelot
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization International Vaccine Centre, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan , Canada.
authors.forename: Jo-Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.affiliation: NetBio , Waltham, MA , USA.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Selden
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, GA , USA ; Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Decatur, GA , USA.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Shafer
authors.affiliation: NetBio , Waltham, MA , USA.
authors.forename: Rosemary S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Turingan
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, Örebro University Hospital , Örebro , Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unemo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, GA , USA.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Read
keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Genetic admixture; Population structure; Recombination; Whole genome sequence analysis