Genome entropy and network centrality contrast exploration and exploitation in evolution of foodborne pathogens.

Modelling evolution of foodborne pathogens is crucial for mitigation and prevention of outbreaks. We apply network-theoretic and information-theoretic methods to trace evolutionary pathways ofSalmonellaTyphimurium in New South Wales, Australia, by studying whole genome sequencing surveillance data over a five-year period which included several outbreaks. The study derives both undirected and directed genotype networks based on genetic proximity, and relates the network's structural property (centrality) to its functional property (prevalence). The centrality-prevalence space derived for the undirected network reveals a salient exploration-exploitation distinction across the pathogens, further quantified by the normalised Shannon entropy and the Fisher information of the corresponding shell genome. This distinction is also analysed by tracing the probability density along evolutionary paths in the centrality-prevalence space. We quantify the evolutionary pathways, and show that pathogens exploring the evolutionary search-space during the considered period begin to exploit their environment (their prevalence increases resulting in outbreaks), but eventually encounter a bottleneck formed by epidemic containment measures.

Genomes of Vibrio cholerae O1 Serotype Ogawa Associated with Current Cholera Activity in Pakistan.

Here, this report presents two genomes of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa, recovered from cholera cases in Australia linked to travel to Pakistan in 2022. Their multidrug-resistant genotype represents the current activity of cholera within the seventh pandemic. One of the genome sequences was assembled using both short- and long-read sequences.

Added value of whole-genome sequencing for management of highly drug-resistant TB.

OBJECTIVES: Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) for Mycobacterium tuberculosis takes several weeks to complete and second-line DST is often poorly reproducible, potentially leading to compromised clinical decisions. Following a fatal case of XDR TB, we investigated the potential benefit of using whole-genome sequencing to generate an in silico drug susceptibility profile. METHODS: The clinical course of the patient was reviewed, assessing the times at which phenotypic DST data became available and changes made to the therapeutic regimen. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on the earliest available isolate and variants associated with drug resistance were identified. RESULTS: The final DST report, including second-line drugs, was issued 10 weeks after patient presentation and 8 weeks after initial growth of M. tuberculosis. In the interim, the patient may have received a compromised regimen that had the potential to select for further drug resistance. The in silico susceptibility profile, extrapolated from evolving evidence in the literature, provided comparable or superior data to the DST results for second-line drugs and could be generated in a much shorter timeframe. CONCLUSIONS: We propose routine whole-genome sequencing of all MDR M. tuberculosis isolates in adequately resourced settings. This will improve individual patient care, monitor for transmission events and advance our understanding of resistance-associated mutations.