Pangenome comparison of Bacteroides fragilis genomospecies unveil genetic diversity and ecological insights.
bioRxiv
; 2023 Dec 21.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38187556
ABSTRACT
Bacteroides fragilis is a Gram-negative commensal bacterium commonly found in the human colon that differentiates into two genomospecies termed division I and II. We leverage a comprehensive collection of 694 B. fragilis whole genome sequences and report differential gene abundance to further support the recent proposal that divisions I and II represent separate species. In division I strains, we identify an increased abundance of genes related to complex carbohydrate degradation, colonization, and host niche occupancy, confirming the role of division I strains as gut commensals. In contrast, division II strains display an increased prevalence of plant cell wall degradation genes and exhibit a distinct geographic distribution, primarily originating from Asian countries, suggesting dietary influences. Notably, division II strains have an increased abundance of genes linked to virulence, survival in toxic conditions, and antimicrobial resistance, consistent with a higher incidence of these strains in bloodstream infections. This study provides new evidence supporting a recent proposal for classifying divisions I and II B. fragilis strains as distinct species, and our comparative genomic analysis reveals their niche-specific roles.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
BioRxiv
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Canada
Country of publication:
United States