Distinct Salmonella enteritidis lineages associated with enterocolitis in high-income settings and invasive disease in low-income settings.

Authors: Feasey, Nicholas A and Hadfield, James and Keddy, Karen H and Dallman, Timothy J and Jacobs, Jan and Deng, Xiangyu and Wigley, Paul and Barquist Barquist, Lars and Langridge, Gemma C and Feltwell, Theresa and Harris, Simon R and Mather, Alison E and Fookes, Maria and Aslett, Martin and Msefula, Chisomo and Kariuki, Samuel and Maclennan, Calman A and Onsare, Robert S and Weill, François-Xavier and Le Hello, Simon and Smith, Anthony M and McClelland, Michael and Desai, Prerak and Parry, Christopher M and Cheesbrough, John and French, Neil and Campos, Josefina and Chabalgoity, Jose A and Betancor, Laura and Hopkins, Katie L and Nair, Satheesh and Humphrey, Tom J and Lunguya, Octavie and Cogan, Tristan A and Tapia, Milagritos D and Sow, Samba O and Tennant, Sharon M and Bornstein, Kristin and Levine, Myron M and Lacharme-Lora, Lizeth and Everett, Dean B and Kingsley, Robert A and Parkhill, Julian and Heyderman, Robert S and Dougan, Gordon and Gordon, Melita A and Thomson, Nicholas R

An epidemiological paradox surrounds Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. In high-income settings, it has been responsible for an epidemic of poultry-associated, self-limiting enterocolitis, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa it is a major cause of invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella disease, associated with high case fatality. By whole-genome sequence analysis of 675 isolates of S. Enteritidis from 45 countries, we show the existence of a global epidemic clade and two new clades of S. Enteritidis that are geographically restricted to distinct regions of Africa. The African isolates display genomic degradation, a novel prophage repertoire, and an expanded multidrug resistance plasmid. S. Enteritidis is a further example of a Salmonella serotype that displays niche plasticity, with distinct clades that enable it to become a prominent cause of gastroenteritis in association with the industrial production of eggs and of multidrug-resistant, bloodstream-invasive infection in Africa.

Journal: Nature genetics
DOI: 10.1038/ng.3644
Year: 2016

Read publication