title: The worldwide distribution of genetically and phylogenetically diverse Bacillus cereus isolates harbouring Bacillus anthracis-like plasmids.
abstract: Bacillus cereus is a close relative of B. anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax whose pathogenic determinants are located on pXO1 and pXO2 plasmids. Bacillus anthracis-like plasmids have been also noted among B. cereus, however, genetic features of B. cereus harbouring these elements remain largely undescribed, especially from the global perspective. Herein, we present the genetic polymorphism, population structure and phylogeny of B. cereus with pXO1-/pXO2-like plasmids originating from Argentina, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Poland. The plasmids were found in about 17% of the isolates, but their frequencies and expression of replicons differed within and between populations. In the multi-locus sequence typing, the bacteria exhibited high genetic polymorphism reflected by 116 sequencing types, including 84 singletons and 10 clonal complexes, which mainly consisted of isolates of the same origin. The phylogenetic analysis of pXO1-/pXO2-like positive B. cereus isolates revealed six independent clades; in certain clades individual populations predominated. Generally, B. cereus with pXO1-/pXO2-like plasmids did not indicate the genetic relationship with B. anthracis, and cannot be classified into an evolutionary independent anthrax line within the B. cereus group. Our report is of a crucial importance for discovering the genetic specificity and evolution of B. cereus bacilli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, 1J Konstanty Ciolkowski Street, Bialystok, 15-245, Poland.
authors.forename: Paulina Sylwia
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Kaminska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al Farabi Ave, Almaty, 050121, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Aliya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yernazarova
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, 1J Konstanty Ciolkowski Street, Bialystok, 15-245, Poland.
authors.forename: Justyna Malgorzata
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Drewnowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, 1J Konstanty Ciolkowski Street, Bialystok, 15-245, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zambrowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, 1J Konstanty Ciolkowski Street, Bialystok, 15-245, Poland.|Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, 1J Konstanty Ciolkowski Street, Bialystok, 15-245, Poland.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Swiecicka
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000235:genetics*; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D007623:Kazakhstan; D007630:Kenya; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D058974:Phylogeography; D010957:Plasmids / Q000032:analysis*; D011044:Poland