Survival and genomic stability of Yersinia enterocolitica in environmental Acanthamoeba spp.
This study reports the whole-genome sequencing of Yersinia enterocolitica strains isolated following intracellular persistence within Acanthamoeba spp. and after growth in standard laboratory broth cultures. The genomes were generated to investigate the genomic stability and potential host-induced genetic variation in Y. enterocolitica under different environmental conditions. The bacterial strains that were sequenced included isolates recovered from (i) a reference Acanthamoeba strain (CDC: V036) (ii) a wild-type amoebal isolates, and (iii) parallel control cultures in Tryptone Soy Broth. Comparative cgMLST analysis revealed strain-specific allelic differences, particularly in isolates recovered from the reference amoebal host. These genome sequences contribute to understanding the adaptive potential and host-dependent genomic plasticity of Y. enterocolitica, a zoonotic pathogen with environmental reservoirs.