title: Microbial Genomics of a Host-Associated Commensal Bacterium in Fragmented Populations of Endangered Takahe.
abstract: Isolation of wildlife into fragmented populations as a consequence of anthropogenic-mediated environmental change may alter host-pathogen relationships. Our understanding of some of the epidemiological features of infectious disease in vulnerable populations can be enhanced by the use of commensal bacteria as a proxy for invasive pathogens in natural ecosystems. The distinctive population structure of a well-described meta-population of a New Zealand endangered flightless bird, the takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri), provided a unique opportunity to investigate the influence of host isolation on enteric microbial diversity. The genomic epidemiology of a prevalent rail-associated endemic commensal bacterium was explored using core genome and ribosomal multilocus sequence typing (rMLST) of 70 Campylobacter sp. nova 1 isolated from one third of the takahe population resident in multiple locations. While there was evidence of recombination between lineages, bacterial divergence appears to have occurred and multivariate analysis of 52 rMLST genes revealed location-associated differentiation of C. sp. nova 1 sequence types. Our results indicate that fragmentation and anthropogenic manipulation of populations can influence host-microbial relationships, with potential implications for niche adaptation and the evolution of micro-organisms in remote environments. This study provides a novel framework in which to explore the complex genomic epidemiology of micro-organisms in wildlife populations.
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. z.grange@massey.ac.nz.|mEpiLab, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Hopkirk Research Institute, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. z.grange@massey.ac.nz.|Wildbase, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. z.grange@massey.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Zoë L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Grange
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.|Wildbase, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Brett D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Gartrell
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.|mEpiLab, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Hopkirk Research Institute, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Biggs
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Nicola J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Marti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.|mEpiLab, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Hopkirk Research Institute, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Nigel P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: French
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology*; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D056727:Endangered Species; D023281:Genomics; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D009520:New Zealand; D010802:Phylogeny; D013559:Symbiosis
keywords: Conservation; Disease ecology; Epidemiology; Reserves; Translocation