10.26091/ESRNZ.9947351.v1
Deborah A. Williamson
Deborah A.
Williamson
Sarah Louise Baines
Sarah Louise
Baines
Glen P. Carter
Glen
P. Carter
Anders Goncalves da Silva
Anders Goncalves
da Silva
Xiaoyun Ren
Xiaoyun
Ren
Jill Sherwood
Jill
Sherwood
Muriel Dufour
Muriel
Dufour
Mark B. Schultz
Mark
B. Schultz
Nigel P. French
Nigel
P. French
Torsten Seemann
Torsten
Seemann
Timothy P. Stinear
Timothy P.
Stinear
Benjamin P. Howden
Benjamin
P. Howden
Genomic insights into a sustained national outbreak of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
Institute of Environmental Science and Research
2019
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
Outbreak of yersiniosis
zoonosis
Foodborne Disease
genomics
epidemiology
New Zealand
Genome sequencing
Microbial Genetics
Microbiology
2019-10-30 03:19:35
Journal contribution
https://research.esr.cri.nz/articles/journal_contribution/Genomic_insights_into_a_sustained_national_outbreak_of_Yersinia_pseudotuberculosis/9947351
In 2014, a sustained outbreak of yersiniosis due to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis occurred across all major cities in New Zealand (NZ),
with a total of 220 laboratory-confirmed cases, representing one of the largest ever reported outbreaks of Y. pseudotuberculosis.
Here, we performed whole genome sequencing of outbreak-associated isolates to produce the largest population analysis to date of
Y. pseudotuberculosis, giving us unprecedented capacity to understand the emergence and evolution of the outbreak clone.
Multivariate analysis incorporating our genomic and clinical epidemiological data strongly suggested a single point-source contamination of the food chain, with subsequent nationwide distribution of contaminated produce. We additionally uncovered significant
diversity in key determinants of virulence, which we speculate may help explain the high morbidity linked to this outbreak.