Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
Characterization of a Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strain Derived from Oreochromis spp. Farms Using Whole-Genome Sequencing
Published on: December 23, 2022
Whole-Genome Characterization of Bacillus cereus Associated with Specific Disease Manifestations
1Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Abstract:
Bacillus cereus remains an important cause of infections, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. While typically associated with enteric infections, disease manifestations can be quite diverse and include skin infections, bacteremia, pneumonia, and meningitis. Whether there are any genetic correlates of bacterial strains with particular clinical manifestations remains unknown. To address this gap in understanding, we undertook whole-genome analysis of B. cereus strains isolated from patients with a range of disease manifestations, including noninvasive colonizing disease, superficial skin infections, and invasive bacteremia. Interestingly, strains involved in skin infection tended to form a distinct genetic cluster compared to isolates associated with invasive disease. Other disease manifestations, despite not being exclusively clustered, nonetheless had unique genetic features. The unique features associated with the specific types of infections ranged from traditional virulence determinants to metabolic pathways and gene regulators. These data represent the largest genetic analysis to date of pathogenic B. cereus isolates with associated clinical parameters.
Insights
Genetic analysis reveals distinct Bacillus cereus strains linked to specific infections. Skin infection strains cluster separately from invasive disease strains, highlighting genetic differences in pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genomics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Bacillus cereus is a significant pathogen, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
- This bacterium causes diverse infections, from enteric to invasive diseases like bacteremia and meningitis.
- Genetic factors differentiating B. cereus strains causing specific clinical manifestations are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic basis of Bacillus cereus clinical diversity.
- To identify genetic correlates associated with specific B. cereus disease manifestations.
- To perform whole-genome analysis on B. cereus isolates from various clinical presentations.
Main Methods:
- Whole-genome sequencing of Bacillus cereus strains.
- Analysis of isolates from patients with noninvasive colonization, skin infections, and invasive bacteremia.
- Comparative genomic analysis to identify unique genetic features.
Main Results:
- Bacillus cereus strains causing skin infections formed a distinct genetic cluster.
- Isolates associated with invasive disease showed different genetic profiles.
- Unique genetic features, including virulence factors and metabolic pathways, were identified for specific infection types.
Conclusions:
- Distinct genetic clusters within Bacillus cereus correlate with specific clinical outcomes.
- Genomic analysis provides insights into the pathogenesis of B. cereus infections.
- This study represents a comprehensive genetic analysis of pathogenic B. cereus with clinical data.
More Related Videos
12:23Recombinant Protein Expression, Crystallization, and Biophysical Studies of a Bacillus-conserved Nucleotide Pyrophosphorylase, BcMazG
Published on: May 16, 2017
09:26Identification of Antibacterial Immunity Proteins in Escherichia coli using MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS/MS and Top-Down Proteomic Analysis
Published on: May 23, 2021
Related Concept Videos
01:29Modern Molecular Taxonomy
01:20Applications of Molecular Taxonomy
01:11Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...