TY - JOUR
T1 - Rapid evolution of distinct Helicobacter pylori subpopulations in the Americas
AU - Thorell, Kaisa
AU - Yahara, Koji
AU - Berthenet, Elvire
AU - Lawson, Daniel J.
AU - Mikhail, Jane
AU - Kato, Ikuko
AU - Mendez, Alfonso
AU - Rizzato, Cosmeri
AU - Bravo, María Mercedes
AU - Suzuki, Rumiko
AU - Yamaoka, Yoshio
AU - Torres, Javier
AU - Sheppard, Samuel K.
AU - Falush, Daniel
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Thorell et al.
PY - 2017/2
Y1 - 2017/2
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85014082959&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006546
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006546
M3 - Artículo
SN - 1553-7390
VL - 13
JO - PLoS Genetics
JF - PLoS Genetics
IS - 2
M1 - e1006546
ER -