@article{Schober2023,
Title = {Ongoing diversification of the global fish pathogen Piscirickettsia salmonis through genetic isolation and transposition bursts},
Author = {Schober, Isabel and Bunk, Boyke and Carril, Gabriela and Freese, Heike M. and Ojeda, Nicolás and Riedel, Thomas and Meier-Kolthoff, Jan P. and Göker, Markus and Spröer, Cathrin and Flores-Herrera, Patricio A. and Nourdin-Galindo, Guillermo and Gómez, Fernando and Cárdenas, Constanza and Vásquez-Ponce, Felipe and Labra, Alvaro and Figueroa, Jaime and Olivares-Pacheco, Jorge and Nübel, Ulrich and Sikorski, Johannes and Marshall, Sergio H. and Overmann, Jörg},
Editor = {},
Journal = {ISME Journal},
Year = {2023},
Pages = {2247–2258},
Volume = {17},
Doi = {10.1038/s41396-023-01531-9},
Abstract = {AbstractThe management of bacterial pathogens remains a key challenge of aquaculture. The marine gammaproteobacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis and causes multi-systemic infections in different salmon species, resulting in considerable mortality and substantial commercial losses. Here, we elucidate its global diversity, evolution, and selection during human interventions. Our comprehensive analysis of 73 closed, high quality genome sequences covered strains from major outbreaks and was supplemented by an analysis of all P. salmonis 16S rRNA gene sequences and metagenomic reads available in public databases. Genome comparison showed that Piscirickettsia comprises at least three distinct, genetically isolated species of which two showed evidence for continuing speciation. However, at least twice the number of species exist in marine fish or seawater. A hallmark of Piscirickettsia diversification is the unprecedented amount and diversity of transposases which are particularly active in subgroups undergoing rapid speciation and are key to the acquisition of novel genes and to pseudogenization. Several group-specific genes are involved in surface antigen synthesis and may explain the differences in virulence between strains. However, the frequent failure of antibiotic treatment of piscirickettsiosis outbreaks cannot be explained by horizontal acquisition of resistance genes which so far occurred only very rarely. Besides revealing a dynamic diversification of an important pathogen, our study also provides the data for improving its surveillance, predicting the emergence of novel lineages, and adapting aquaculture management, and thereby contributes towards the sustainability of salmon farming.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Schober, Isabel
AU - Bunk, Boyke
AU - Carril, Gabriela
AU - Freese, Heike M.
AU - Ojeda, Nicolás
AU - Riedel, Thomas
AU - Meier-Kolthoff, Jan P.
AU - Göker, Markus
AU - Spröer, Cathrin
AU - Flores-Herrera, Patricio A.
AU - Nourdin-Galindo, Guillermo
AU - Gómez, Fernando
AU - Cárdenas, Constanza
AU - Vásquez-Ponce, Felipe
AU - Labra, Alvaro
AU - Figueroa, Jaime
AU - Olivares-Pacheco, Jorge
AU - Nübel, Ulrich
AU - Sikorski, Johannes
AU - Marshall, Sergio H.
AU - Overmann, Jörg
TI - Ongoing diversification of the global fish pathogen Piscirickettsia salmonis through genetic isolation and transposition bursts
T2 - ISME Journal
PY - 2023
SP - 2247–2258
VL - 17
DO - 10.1038/s41396-023-01531-9
AB - AbstractThe management of bacterial pathogens remains a key challenge of aquaculture. The marine gammaproteobacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis and causes multi-systemic infections in different salmon species, resulting in considerable mortality and substantial commercial losses. Here, we elucidate its global diversity, evolution, and selection during human interventions. Our comprehensive analysis of 73 closed, high quality genome sequences covered strains from major outbreaks and was supplemented by an analysis of all P. salmonis 16S rRNA gene sequences and metagenomic reads available in public databases. Genome comparison showed that Piscirickettsia comprises at least three distinct, genetically isolated species of which two showed evidence for continuing speciation. However, at least twice the number of species exist in marine fish or seawater. A hallmark of Piscirickettsia diversification is the unprecedented amount and diversity of transposases which are particularly active in subgroups undergoing rapid speciation and are key to the acquisition of novel genes and to pseudogenization. Several group-specific genes are involved in surface antigen synthesis and may explain the differences in virulence between strains. However, the frequent failure of antibiotic treatment of piscirickettsiosis outbreaks cannot be explained by horizontal acquisition of resistance genes which so far occurred only very rarely. Besides revealing a dynamic diversification of an important pathogen, our study also provides the data for improving its surveillance, predicting the emergence of novel lineages, and adapting aquaculture management, and thereby contributes towards the sustainability of salmon farming.
ER -
