Rapid evolution of distinct Helicobacter pylori subpopulations in the Americas

Coop, Graham, Thorell, Kaisa, Yahara, Koji, Berthenet, Elvire, Lawson, Daniel J., Mikhail, Jane, Kato, Ikuko, Mendez, Alfonso, Rizzato, Cosmeri, Bravo, María Mercedes, Suzuki, Rumiko, Yamaoka, Yoshio, Torres, Javier, Sheppard, Samuel K. and Falush, Daniel 2017. Rapid evolution of distinct Helicobacter pylori subpopulations in the Americas. PLoS Genetics 13 (2) , e1006546. 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006546

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

For the last 500 years, the Americas have been a melting pot both for genetically diverse humans and for the pathogenic and commensal organisms associated with them. One such organism is the stomach-dwelling bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is highly prevalent in Latin America where it is a major current public health challenge because of its strong association with gastric cancer. By analyzing the genome sequence of H. pylori isolated in North, Central and South America, we found evidence for admixture between H. pylori of European and African origin throughout the Americas, without substantial input from pre-Columbian (hspAmerind) bacteria. In the US, strains of African and European origin have remained genetically distinct, while in Colombia and Nicaragua, bottlenecks and rampant genetic exchange amongst isolates have led to the formation of national gene pools. We found three outer membrane proteins with atypical levels of Asian ancestry in American strains, as well as alleles that were nearly fixed specifically in South American isolates, suggesting a role for the ethnic makeup of hosts in the colonization of incoming strains. Our results show that new H. pylori subpopulations can rapidly arise, spread and adapt during times of demographic flux, and suggest that differences in transmission ecology between high and low prevalence areas may substantially affect the composition of bacterial populations.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences
Publisher:	Public Library of Science
ISSN:	1553-7390
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 November 2018
Date of Acceptance:	19 December 2016
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 15:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/117049

Citation Data

Cited 55 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item