title: Genomics reveals historic and contemporary transmission dynamics of a bacterial disease among wildlife and livestock.
abstract: Whole-genome sequencing has provided fundamental insights into infectious disease epidemiology, but has rarely been used for examining transmission dynamics of a bacterial pathogen in wildlife. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), outbreaks of brucellosis have increased in cattle along with rising seroprevalence in elk. Here we use a genomic approach to examine Brucella abortus evolution, cross-species transmission and spatial spread in the GYE. We find that brucellosis was introduced into wildlife in this region at least five times. The diffusion rate varies among Brucella lineages (∼3 to 8 km per year) and over time. We also estimate 12 host transitions from bison to elk, and 5 from elk to bison. Our results support the notion that free-ranging elk are currently a self-sustaining brucellosis reservoir and the source of livestock infections, and that control measures in bison are unlikely to affect the dynamics of unrelated strains circulating in nearby elk populations.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana 59715, USA.
authors.forename: Pauline L
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6458-4514
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Kamath
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8235-8564
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Drees
authors.affiliation: Flathead Lake Biological Station, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA.
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luikart
authors.affiliation: USDA-APHIS, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quance
authors.affiliation: Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Bozeman, Montana 59718, USA.
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: USDA-APHIS, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA.
authors.forename: P Ryan
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.affiliation: USFWS, National Elk Refuge, Jackson, Wyoming 83001, USA.
authors.forename: Eric K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Health Laboratory, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Caldwell, Idaho 83607, USA.
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Drew
authors.affiliation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA.
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: USDA-APHIS, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA.
authors.forename: Jack C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rhyan
authors.affiliation: National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth, Wyoming 82190, USA.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Treanor
authors.affiliation: National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth, Wyoming 82190, USA.
authors.forename: Rick L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Wallen
authors.affiliation: National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth, Wyoming 82190, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: USDA-APHIS, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.
authors.forename: Suelee
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3794-3040
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Robbe-Austerman
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana 59715, USA.
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000502:physiology; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary*; D002138:Calibration; D017753:Ecosystem; D023281:Genomics; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors