Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026
08:03
Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
Published on: December 7, 2021
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Genomic diversity and host-specificity in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis using comparative population genomics.
Rodrigo Profeta1,2, Cory L Schlesener1,2, Claire A Shaw1,2
1Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA, United States.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|March 5, 2026
Summary
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis genomes show remarkable stability, with host adaptation driven by subtle genetic variations, not new resistance genes. This pathogen causes chronic livestock infections.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Genomics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis causes chronic infections in livestock, with potential zoonotic transmission.
- Understanding its genomic diversity and host adaptation is crucial for disease control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genomic diversity, evolutionary stability, and host adaptation of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.
- To identify genetic factors influencing host specificity.
Main Methods:
- Comparative population genomics of 788 Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis genomes.
- Screening for virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes.
- Machine learning analysis of core-genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
Main Results:
- Remarkably conserved genome architecture with a closed pangenome and minimal accessory gene variation.
- Universal presence of phospholipase D (pld); limited acquisition of AMR genes (APH(3')-IIa, TEM-116, APH(3')-IIIa) in some Brazilian goat isolates.
- Host specificity linked to specific allelic variants in core metabolic genes (amino-acid biosynthesis, Opp system) identified via machine learning, not gene presence/absence.
Conclusions:
- Host adaptation in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is driven by fine-scale SNP variation within core metabolic pathways.
- The species exhibits exceptional genomic stability with limited evolutionary flexibility regarding virulence and AMR gene acquisition.
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