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Genomic reconnaissance of clinical isolates of emerging human pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus reveals high evolutionary potential

Choo SW 1 , Wee WY 1 , Ngeow YF 2 , Mitchell W 3 , Tan JL 4 , Wong GJ 1 Show all authors , Zhao Y 5 , Xiao J 6

Affiliations 

  • 1 1] Genome Informatics Research Laboratory, High Impact Research (HIR) Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [2] Department of Oral Biology & Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 1] Division of Information Sciences, School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore [2] Synthetic Biology Group, Lanzatech, Auckland, New Zealand
  • 4 1] Genome Informatics Research Laboratory, High Impact Research (HIR) Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [2] Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 1] CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China [2] University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • 6 CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Sci Rep, 2014;4:4061.
PMID: 24515248 DOI: 10.1038/srep04061

Abstract

Mycobacterium abscessus (Ma) is an emerging human pathogen that causes both soft tissue infections and systemic disease. We present the first comparative whole-genome study of Ma strains isolated from patients of wide geographical origin. We found a high proportion of accessory strain-specific genes indicating an open, non-conservative pan-genome structure, and clear evidence of rapid phage-mediated evolution. Although we found fewer virulence factors in Ma compared to M. tuberculosis, our data indicated that Ma evolves rapidly and therefore should be monitored closely for the acquisition of more pathogenic traits. This comparative study provides a better understanding of Ma and forms the basis for future functional work on this important pathogen.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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