The global dissemination of bacterial infections necessitates the study of reverse genomic epidemiology

Abstract Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has revolutionized the genotyping of bacterial pathogens and is expected to become the new gold standard for tracing the transmissions of bacterial infectious diseases for public health purposes. Traditional genomic epidemiology often uses WGS as a verification tool, namely, when a common source or epidemiological link is suspected, the collected isolates are sequenced for the determination of clonal relationships. However, increasingly frequent international travel and food transportation, and the associated potential for the cross-border transmission of bacterial pathogens, often lead to an absence of information on bacterial transmission routes. Here we introduce the concept of ‘reverse genomic epidemiology’, i.e. when isolates are inspected by genome comparisons to be sufficiently similar to one another, they are assumed to be a consequence of infection from a common source. Through BacWGSTdb (http://bacdb.org/BacWGSTdb/), a database we have developed for bacterial genome typing and source tracking, we have found that almost the entire analyzed 20 bacterial species exhibit the phenomenon of cross-border clonal dissemination. Five networks were further identified in which isolates sharing nearly identical genomes were collected from at least five different countries. Three of these have been documented as real infectious disease outbreaks, therefore demonstrating the feasibility and authority of reverse genomic epidemiology. Our survey and proposed strategy would be of potential value in establishing a global surveillance system for tracing bacterial transmissions and outbreaks; the related database and techniques require urgent standardization.

Download Full-text

PlasmidHostFinder: Prediction of plasmid hosts using random forest

10.1101/2021.09.27.462084 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Derya Aytan-Aktug ◽

Philip TLC Clausen ◽

Judit Szarvas ◽

Patrick Munk ◽

Saria Otani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Random Forest ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Host Range ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Detection Methods ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Counter Measures ◽

Genomic Epidemiology

ABSTRACTPlasmids play a major role facilitating the spread of antimicrobial resistance between bacteria. Understanding the host range and dissemination trajectories of plasmids is critical for surveillance and prevention of antimicrobial resistance. Identification of plasmid host ranges could be improved using automated pattern detection methods, compared to homology-based methods due to the diversity and genetic plasticity of plasmids. In this study, we developed a method for predicting the host range of plasmids based on the random forest machine learning method. We trained the models with 8,519 plasmids from 359 different bacterial species per taxonomic level, where the models achieved 0.662 and 0.867 Matthews correlation coefficients at the species and order levels, respectively. Our results suggest that despite the diverse nature and genetic plasticity of plasmids, our random forest model can accurately distinguish between plasmid hosts. This tool can be used online through Center for Genomic Epidemiology (https://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/PlasmidHostFinder/).ImportanceAntimicrobial resistance is a global health threat to humans and animals causing high mortality and morbidity, and effectively ending decades of success in fighting against bacterial infections. Plasmids confer extra genetic capabilities to the host organisms through accessory genes, which can encode antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors. In addition to lateral inheritance, plasmids can be transferred horizontally between bacterial taxa. Therefore, detecting the host range of plasmids is crucial for understanding and predicting the dissemination trajectories of extrachromosomal genes and bacterial evolution, as well as for taking effective counter measures against antimicrobial resistance.

Download Full-text

Susceptibility to Bismuth(III) of Aquaculture Bacterial Pathogens: Effectiveness of Bismuth–Deferiprone Therapy against Vibrio anguillarum Infection in Fish

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9112399 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 2399

Author(s):

Miguel Balado ◽

Diego Rey-Varela ◽

Ana M. Albela ◽

Manuel L. Lemos

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Pathogens ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Vibrio Anguillarum ◽

Antibacterial Properties ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Intraspecific Variability ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Bacterial Disease ◽

Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations

Bismuth is a heavy metal with antibacterial properties that has a long history of medicinal use. The results reported here suggest that bismuth(III) (chelated with deferiprone) could be used in aquaculture systems to treat bacterial disease outbreaks, greatly reducing antibiotic use. We tested bismuth susceptibility in a collection of aquaculture bacterial pathogens. In the presence of bismuth concentrations ranging from 1.3 to 13 µM, most bacteria started showing a drastic decrease in their growth ability, although with high inter- and intraspecific variability. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of bismuth ranged from 13 to more than 780 µM, depending on bacterial species and strain. The results of in vivo assays suggest that low concentrations of bismuth could be especially effective to treat vibriosis caused by Vibrio anguillarum, since bismuth greatly reduced mortality in experimentally infected fish without any observable side effects. A bismuth therapy, alone or combined with other antimicrobials, could contribute to reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture.

Download Full-text

Surge of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections linked to single introduction of a virus strain in Myanmar, 2020

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89361-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Myat Htut Nyunt ◽

Hnin Ohnmar Soe ◽

Kay Thi Aye ◽

Wah Wah Aung ◽

Yi Yi Kyaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Early Phase ◽

International Travel ◽

Health Concern ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Genomic Epidemiology ◽

Local Spread ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Local Transmission

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a major health concern globally. Genomic epidemiology is an important tool to assess the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several mutations have been reported by genome analysis of the SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we investigated the mutational and phylogenetic analysis of 30 whole-genome sequences for the virus's genomic characteristics in the specimens collected in the early phase of the pandemic (March–June, 2020) and the sudden surge of local transmission (August–September, 2020). The four samples in the early phase of infection were B.6 lineage and located within a clade of the samples collected at the same time in Singapore and Malaysia, while five returnees by rescue flights showed the lineage B. 1.36.1 (three from India), B.1.1 (one from India) and B.1.80 (one from China). However, there was no evidence of local spread from these returnees. Further, all 19 whole-genome sequences collected in the sudden surge of local transmission showed lineage B.1.36. The surge of the second wave on SARS-CoV-2 infection was linked to the single-introduction of a variant (B.1.36) that may result from the strict restriction of international travel and containment efforts. These genomic data provides the useful information to disease control and prevention strategy.

Download Full-text

SCAPP: an algorithm for improved plasmid assembly in metagenomes

Microbiome ◽

10.1186/s40168-021-01068-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

David Pellow ◽

Alvah Zorea ◽

Maraike Probst ◽

Ori Furman ◽

Arik Segal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Species ◽

Bacterial Genome ◽

Biological Knowledge ◽

Assessment Procedure ◽

Metagenomic Sequencing ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Human Gut ◽

Double Stranded Dna ◽

Wide Range ◽

Python Package

Abstract Background Metagenomic sequencing has led to the identification and assembly of many new bacterial genome sequences. These bacteria often contain plasmids: usually small, circular double-stranded DNA molecules that may transfer across bacterial species and confer antibiotic resistance. These plasmids are generally less studied and understood than their bacterial hosts. Part of the reason for this is insufficient computational tools enabling the analysis of plasmids in metagenomic samples. Results We developed SCAPP (Sequence Contents-Aware Plasmid Peeler)—an algorithm and tool to assemble plasmid sequences from metagenomic sequencing. SCAPP builds on some key ideas from the Recycler algorithm while improving plasmid assemblies by integrating biological knowledge about plasmids. We compared the performance of SCAPP to Recycler and metaplasmidSPAdes on simulated metagenomes, real human gut microbiome samples, and a human gut plasmidome dataset that we generated. We also created plasmidome and metagenome data from the same cow rumen sample and used the parallel sequencing data to create a novel assessment procedure. Overall, SCAPP outperformed Recycler and metaplasmidSPAdes across this wide range of datasets. Conclusions SCAPP is an easy to use Python package that enables the assembly of full plasmid sequences from metagenomic samples. It outperformed existing metagenomic plasmid assemblers in most cases and assembled novel and clinically relevant plasmids in samples we generated such as a human gut plasmidome. SCAPP is open-source software available from: https://github.com/Shamir-Lab/SCAPP.

Download Full-text

Consistent Metagenome-Derived Metrics Verify and Delineate Bacterial Species Boundaries

mSystems ◽

10.1128/msystems.00731-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Matthew R. Olm ◽

Alexander Crits-Christoph ◽

Spencer Diamond ◽

Adi Lavy ◽

Paula B. Matheus Carnevali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Diversity ◽

Ribosomal Proteins ◽

Large Scale ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Bacterial Genome ◽

16S Rrna Genes ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Species Discrimination ◽

Bacterial Genomes ◽

Discrimination Power

ABSTRACT Longstanding questions relate to the existence of naturally distinct bacterial species and genetic approaches to distinguish them. Bacterial genomes in public databases form distinct groups, but these databases are subject to isolation and deposition biases. To avoid these biases, we compared 5,203 bacterial genomes from 1,457 environmental metagenomic samples to test for distinct clouds of diversity and evaluated metrics that could be used to define the species boundary. Bacterial genomes from the human gut, soil, and the ocean all exhibited gaps in whole-genome average nucleotide identities (ANI) near the previously suggested species threshold of 95% ANI. While genome-wide ratios of nonsynonymous and synonymous nucleotide differences (dN/dS) decrease until ANI values approach ∼98%, two methods for estimating homologous recombination approached zero at ∼95% ANI, supporting breakdown of recombination due to sequence divergence as a species-forming force. We evaluated 107 genome-based metrics for their ability to distinguish species when full genomes are not recovered. Full-length 16S rRNA genes were least useful, in part because they were underrecovered from metagenomes. However, many ribosomal proteins displayed both high metagenomic recoverability and species discrimination power. Taken together, our results verify the existence of sequence-discrete microbial species in metagenome-derived genomes and highlight the usefulness of ribosomal genes for gene-level species discrimination. IMPORTANCE There is controversy about whether bacterial diversity is clustered into distinct species groups or exists as a continuum. To address this issue, we analyzed bacterial genome databases and reports from several previous large-scale environment studies and identified clear discrete groups of species-level bacterial diversity in all cases. Genetic analysis further revealed that quasi-sexual reproduction via horizontal gene transfer is likely a key evolutionary force that maintains bacterial species integrity. We next benchmarked over 100 metrics to distinguish these bacterial species from each other and identified several genes encoding ribosomal proteins with high species discrimination power. Overall, the results from this study provide best practices for bacterial species delineation based on genome content and insight into the nature of bacterial species population genetics.

Download Full-text

Label-Free Electrochemical Biosensor Based on Au@MoS₂–PANI for Escherichia coli Detection

Chemosensors ◽

10.3390/chemosensors9030049 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 49

Author(s):

Pushap Raj ◽

Man Hwan Oh ◽

Kyudong Han ◽

Tae Yoon Lee

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Bacterial Pathogens ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Covalent Immobilization ◽

Label Free ◽

Self Assembled Monolayer ◽

Detection Range ◽

Linear Detection

Bacterial infections have become a significant challenge in terms of public health, the food industry, and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to address these challenges by developing a rapid, cost-effective, and easy-to-use biosensor for early diagnosis of bacterial pathogens. Herein, we developed a simple, label-free, and highly sensitive immunosensor based on electrochemical detection using the Au@MoS₂–PANI nanocomposite. The conductivity of the glassy carbon electrode is greatly enhanced using the Au@MoS₂–PANI nanocomposite and a self-assembled monolayer of mercaptopropionic acid on the gold nanoparticle surface was employed for the covalent immobilization of antibodies to minimize the nonspecific adsorption of bacterial pathogens on the electrode surface. The biosensor established a high selectivity and sensitivity with a low limit of detection of 10 CFU/mL, and detected Escherichia coli within 30 min. Moreover, the developed biosensor demonstrated a good linear detection range, practical utility in urine samples, and electrode regenerative studies.

Download Full-text

Detection of Cytosolic Shigella flexneri via a C-Terminal Triple-Arginine Motif of GBP1 Inhibits Actin-Based Motility

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.01979-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Anthony S. Piro ◽

Dulcemaria Hernandez ◽

Sarah Luoma ◽

Eric M. Feeley ◽

Ryan Finethy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Cell ◽

Host Defense ◽

Actin Polymerization ◽

Bacterial Pathogens ◽

Shigella Flexneri ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Host Cells ◽

Gram Negative Bacteria ◽

Protein Motif ◽

Gram Negative

ABSTRACT Dynamin-like guanylate binding proteins (GBPs) are gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-inducible host defense proteins that can associate with cytosol-invading bacterial pathogens. Mouse GBPs promote the lytic destruction of targeted bacteria in the host cell cytosol, but the antimicrobial function of human GBPs and the mechanism by which these proteins associate with cytosolic bacteria are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that human GBP1 is unique among the seven human GBP paralogs in its ability to associate with at least two cytosolic Gram-negative bacteria, Burkholderia thailandensis and Shigella flexneri. Rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutants of S. flexneri colocalize with GBP1 less frequently than wild-type S. flexneri does, suggesting that host recognition of O antigen promotes GBP1 targeting to Gram-negative bacteria. The targeting of GBP1 to cytosolic bacteria, via a unique triple-arginine motif present in its C terminus, promotes the corecruitment of four additional GBP paralogs (GBP2, GBP3, GBP4, and GBP6). GBP1-decorated Shigella organisms replicate but fail to form actin tails, leading to their intracellular aggregation. Consequentially, the wild type but not the triple-arginine GBP1 mutant restricts S. flexneri cell-to-cell spread. Furthermore, human-adapted S. flexneri, through the action of one its secreted effectors, IpaH9.8, is more resistant to GBP1 targeting than the non-human-adapted bacillus B. thailandensis. These studies reveal that human GBP1 uniquely functions as an intracellular “glue trap,” inhibiting the cytosolic movement of normally actin-propelled Gram-negative bacteria. In response to this powerful human defense program, S. flexneri has evolved an effective counterdefense to restrict GBP1 recruitment. IMPORTANCE Several pathogenic bacterial species evolved to invade, reside in, and replicate inside the cytosol of their host cells. One adaptation common to most cytosolic bacterial pathogens is the ability to coopt the host’s actin polymerization machinery in order to generate force for intracellular movement. This actin-based motility enables Gram-negative bacteria, such as Shigella species, to propel themselves into neighboring cells, thereby spreading from host cell to host cell without exiting the intracellular environment. Here, we show that the human protein GBP1 acts as a cytosolic “glue trap,” capturing cytosolic Gram-negative bacteria through a unique protein motif and preventing disseminated infections in cell culture models. To escape from this GBP1-mediated host defense, Shigella employs a virulence factor that prevents or dislodges the association of GBP1 with cytosolic bacteria. Thus, therapeutic strategies to restore GBP1 binding to Shigella may lead to novel treatment options for shigellosis in the future. Several pathogenic bacterial species evolved to invade, reside in, and replicate inside the cytosol of their host cells. One adaptation common to most cytosolic bacterial pathogens is the ability to coopt the host’s actin polymerization machinery in order to generate force for intracellular movement. This actin-based motility enables Gram-negative bacteria, such as Shigella species, to propel themselves into neighboring cells, thereby spreading from host cell to host cell without exiting the intracellular environment. Here, we show that the human protein GBP1 acts as a cytosolic “glue trap,” capturing cytosolic Gram-negative bacteria through a unique protein motif and preventing disseminated infections in cell culture models. To escape from this GBP1-mediated host defense, Shigella employs a virulence factor that prevents or dislodges the association of GBP1 with cytosolic bacteria. Thus, therapeutic strategies to restore GBP1 binding to Shigella may lead to novel treatment options for shigellosis in the future.

Download Full-text

Species, Risk Factors, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Bacterial Isolates from HIV-Infected Patients Suspected to Have Pneumonia in Mekelle Zone, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/8768439 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gebre Adhanom ◽

Dawit Gebreegziabiher ◽

Yemane Weldu ◽

Araya Gebreyesus Wasihun ◽

Tadele Araya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽

Bacterial Pneumonia ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Diffusion Method ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

P Value ◽

Northern Ethiopia ◽

Hiv Patients

Background. Pneumonia is a condition, where bacterial infections are implicated as the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in humans. The actual burden of HIV-infected patients with pneumonia is not well documented in Mekelle region of Ethiopia. This study estimated the prevalence of bacterial pneumonia in HIV patients, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of pathogens implicated in pneumonia, and associated risk factors in Mekelle zone, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, during August-December 2016. Methods. Sputum specimens were collected from 252 HIV seropositive individuals with suspected pneumonia. Data on sociodemographics and risk factors were also collected using a structured questionnaire. Blood, Chocolate, and Mac Conkey agar plates (Oxoid, Hampshire, UK) were used to grow the isolates. The isolated colonies were identified based on Gram stain, colony morphology, pigmentation, hemolysis, and biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using the modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 22 and p-value < 0.05 with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was considered statistically significant. Results. Out of the 252 samples, 110 (43.7%) were positive for various bacterial species. The predominant bacterial species were Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=26, 23.6 %) followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=17, 15.5 %), Escherichia coli (n=16, 14.5%), Klebsiella spp. (n=15, 13.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (n=9, 8.2%), Enterobacter spp. (n=7, 6.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4, n=3.6%), Proteus spp. (n=4, 3.6%), Citrobacter freundii (n=7, 6.3%), Streptococcus pyogenes (3, 2.7%), and Haemophilus influenzae (n=2, 1.8%). Young age (18-29), recent CD4+ count less than 350 cells/mL, alcohol consumption, and HIV WHO stage II showed significant association with the occurrence of bacterial pneumonia. Resistance to penicillin, co-trimoxazole, and tetracycline was observed in 81.8%, 39.8%, and 24.5% of the isolates, respectively. Conclusions. The problem of pneumonia among HIV patients was significant in the study area. The high prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria isolated from the patient’s samples possesses a health risk in immunocompromised HIV patients. There is a need to strengthen and expand culture and susceptibility procedures for the administration of appropriate therapy to improve patients management and care which may aid in decreasing the mortality.

Download Full-text

Bactopia: a flexible pipeline for complete analysis of bacterial genomes

10.1101/2020.02.28.969394 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Robert A. Petit ◽

Timothy D. Read

Keyword(s):

Standard Procedure ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Bacterial Genome ◽

Complete Analysis ◽

Comparative Genomic ◽

Bacterial Genomes ◽

Analysis Pipeline ◽

Genomic Analyses ◽

Conserved Genes ◽

Downstream Analysis

AbstractSequencing of bacterial genomes using Illumina technology has become such a standard procedure that often data are generated faster than can be conveniently analyzed. We created a new series of pipelines called Bactopia, built using Nextflow workflow software, to provide efficient comparative genomic analyses for bacterial species or genera. Bactopia consists of a dataset setup step (Bactopia Datasets; BaDs) where a series of customizable datasets are created for the species of interest; the Bactopia Analysis Pipeline (BaAP), which performs quality control, genome assembly and several other functions based on the available datasets and outputs the processed data to a structured directory format; and a series of Bactopia Tools (BaTs) that perform specific post-processing on some or all of the processed data. BaTs include pan-genome analysis, computing average nucleotide identity between samples, extracting and profiling the 16S genes and taxonomic classification using highly conserved genes. It is expected that the number of BaTs will increase to fill specific applications in the future. As a demonstration, we performed an analysis of 1,664 public Lactobacillus genomes, focusing on L. crispatus, a species that is a common part of the human vaginal microbiome. Bactopia is an open source system that can scale from projects as small as one bacterial genome to thousands that allows for great flexibility in choosing comparison datasets and options for downstream analysis. Bactopia code can be accessed at https://www.github.com/bactopia/bactopia.

Download Full-text

Molecular Mechanisms for Microbe Recognition and Defense by the Red Seaweed Laurencia dendroidea

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00094-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Louisi Souza de Oliveira ◽

Diogo Antonio Tschoeke ◽

Ana Carolina Rubem Magalhães Lopes ◽

Daniela Bueno Sudatti ◽

Pedro Milet Meirelles ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Defense Mechanisms ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Large Scale ◽

Marine Bacterium ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Red Seaweed ◽

Content Type ◽

Transcriptional Changes ◽

Molecular Components

ABSTRACT Marine bacteria are part of the healthy microbiota associated with seaweeds, but some species, such as Vibrio spp., are frequently associated with disease outbreaks, especially in economically valuable cultures. In this context, the ability of seaweeds to recognize microbes and, when necessary, activate defense mechanisms is essential for their survival. However, studies dedicated to understanding the molecular components of the immune response in seaweeds are rare and restricted to indirect stimulus. This work provides an unprecedentedly large-scale evaluation of the transcriptional changes involved in microbe recognition, cellular signaling, and defense in the red seaweed Laurencia dendroidea in response to the marine bacterium Vibrio madracius. By expanding knowledge about seaweed-bacterium interactions and about the integrated defensive system in seaweeds, this work offers the basis for the development of tools to increase the resistance of cultured seaweeds to bacterial infections. The ability to recognize and respond to the presence of microbes is an essential strategy for seaweeds to survive in the marine environment, but understanding of molecular seaweed-microbe interactions is limited. Laurencia dendroidea clones were inoculated with the marine bacterium Vibrio madracius. The seaweed RNA was sequenced, providing an unprecedentedly high coverage of the transcriptome of Laurencia, and the gene expression levels were compared between control and inoculated samples after 24, 48, and 72 h. Transcriptomic changes in L. dendroidea in the presence of V. madracius include the upregulation of genes that participate in signaling pathways described here for the first time as a response of seaweeds to microbes. Genes coding for defense-related transcription activators, reactive oxygen species metabolism, terpene biosynthesis, and energy conversion pathways were upregulated in inoculated samples of L. dendroidea, indicating an integrated defensive system in seaweeds. This report contributes significantly to the current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms involved in the highly dynamic seaweed-bacterium interactions. IMPORTANCE Marine bacteria are part of the healthy microbiota associated with seaweeds, but some species, such as Vibrio spp., are frequently associated with disease outbreaks, especially in economically valuable cultures. In this context, the ability of seaweeds to recognize microbes and, when necessary, activate defense mechanisms is essential for their survival. However, studies dedicated to understanding the molecular components of the immune response in seaweeds are rare and restricted to indirect stimulus. This work provides an unprecedentedly large-scale evaluation of the transcriptional changes involved in microbe recognition, cellular signaling, and defense in the red seaweed Laurencia dendroidea in response to the marine bacterium Vibrio madracius. By expanding knowledge about seaweed-bacterium interactions and about the integrated defensive system in seaweeds, this work offers the basis for the development of tools to increase the resistance of cultured seaweeds to bacterial infections.

Download Full-text