Accessory Genomic Epidemiology of Cocirculating Acinetobacter baumannii Clones
Valeria Mateo-Estrada, José Luís Fernández-Vázquez, Julia Moreno‐Manjón, Ismael Hernández-González, Eduardo Rodríguez-Noriega, Rayo Morfín‐Otero, Marı́a Dolores Alcántar-Curiel, Santiago Castillo‐Ramírez
Abstract
Whole-genome sequencing for epidemiological investigations (genomic epidemiology) has been of paramount importance to understand the transmission dynamics of many bacterial (and nonbacterial) pathogens. Commonly, variation in the core genome, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), is employed to carry out genomic epidemiology. However, at very short periods of time, the core genome might not have accumulated enough variation (sufficient SNPs) to tell apart isolates. In this scenario, gene content variation in the accessory genome can be an option to conduct genomic epidemiology. Here, we used the accessory genome, as well as the core genome, to uncover the transmission dynamics of extensive and multidrug-resistant A. baumannii in a tertiary hospital for a decade. Our study shows that accessory genome variation can be a very powerful tool for conducting genomic epidemiology.