phe_mycoplasma_hominis
Thiss study includes development of an MLST scheme based on analysis of M. hominis genomic sequences to derive the minimum number of genes required to accurately reflect genomic phylogeny.
Mycoplasma hominis is an opportunistic human pathogen, associated with clinically diverse disease. Currently, there is no standardised method for typing M. homins, which would aid in understanding pathogen epidemiology and transmission. This study has utilised bioinformatics analysis of M. hominis genomic sequences to identify a minimum set of 48 genes required to recapitulate the relationships observed in the genomic phylogeny of M. hominis constructed using SNP data.  Due to availability and costs of whole genome sequencing and the challenges in obtaining adequate M. hominis DNA, the use of whole genome sequence analysis to provide clinical guidance is unpractical for this bacterial species as well as other fastidious organisms. Following this, three sets of seven genes were identified to construct future MLST typing schema representative of the genomic phylogeny. The genes proposed in this study could be utilised to design a cost-effective and rapid PCR-based MLST assay that could be applied directly to clinical isolates, without prior isolation. This study includes additional genomic analysis revealing high levels of genetic heterogeneity among this species. This provides a novel and evidence based approach for the development of MLST schema that accurately represent genomic phylogeny for use in epidemiology and transmission studies.