The Ravel Laboratory for Microbial Genomics
Comprehensive Genome Sequencing of Nontyphoidal Salmonellae
Collaborator: Patrick McDermott and David White, FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine; Mark K Mammel, J. Eugene LeClerc and Thomas A. Cebula, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The nontyphoidal Salmonella are the leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in humans, making these pathogens an immediate biomedical, public health, and biodefense concern. The goal of this project is to understand the pathogenic and antimicrobial resistance properties of Salmonella enterica by sequencing, annotating, and analyzing seventeen Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars of public health importance, including those that may be used by terrorists as agents for deliberate release. Strains proposed for genomic analysis encompass a wide genomic diversity, as assessed by a variety of molecular and phylogenetic analyses, and were chosen for their suitability to broadly represent the genus. Strains exhibiting multiple-drug resistance (MDR) were emphasized, as such strains are extant among human clinical isolates and pose an added threat of higher morbidity and mortality.
In addition to the chromosomal sequence information that will yield keen insights into the evolution of this important enteric pathogen, this sequencing effort will delineate MDR elements, mainly on plasmids, and will help define the mechanisms of gene acquisition and dissemination that have led to the evolution of the modern resistance phenotypes. The scale of work proposed in this document will also permit development of better diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for public health responders and the military, improving national bio-preparedness. In addition, this work will provide a genetic “background” that will facilitate bioforensics investigations in the event of an attack using Salmonella.
For a complete list of organisms and update on the project, click here
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