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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
12:13
TransFLP — A Method to Genetically Modify Vibrio cholerae Based on Natural Transformation and FLP-recombination
Published on: October 8, 2012
Fuzzy species among recombinogenic bacteria
William P Hanage1, Christophe Fraser, Brian G Spratt
1Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK. w.hanage@imperial.ac.uk
BMC Biology
|March 9, 2005
Summary
A multilocus sequencing approach successfully delineated bacterial species, even within highly recombinogenic Neisseria populations. This method resolves genetic clusters, aiding species definition in challenging bacterial groups.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Taxonomy
- Genomics
Background:
- Debate on a universal bacterial species concept persists.
- Difficulty in defining bacterial species, especially in highly recombinogenic populations.
- Investigating genotypic clusters in closely related bacteria colonizing the same body site.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if genotypic clusters can be resolved in highly recombinogenic bacteria.
- To assess the correspondence of resolved clusters with named bacterial species.
- To evaluate the utility of multilocus sequence analysis for bacterial species delineation.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences from seven housekeeping loci.
- Analysis of 770 strains from 11 named Neisseria species.
- Utilizing large sample sizes of closely related bacterial isolates.
Main Results:
- Concatenated sequences buffered recombination effects, resolving clusters for N. meningitidis, N. lactamica, and N. gonorrhoeae.
- Identified 'fuzzy' species boundaries between N. meningitidis and N. lactamica.
- Demonstrated that individual loci were insufficient for species delineation due to widespread allele distribution.
Conclusions:
- A multilocus approach with large sample sizes effectively delineates species in highly recombinogenic bacteria.
- This method is recommended for taxonomists to define species in difficult bacterial groups.
- The study provides a robust approach for resolving bacterial species boundaries.
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