Novel Strategy for Predicting Future Emergent Outbreaks
Some diseases, like the common cold, have been known and well-established for much of human history. However, some harmless microbes can suddenly turn pathogenic, or cause disease. Even known diseases can rapidly increase in incidence or spread outside their normal geographic ranges. These are referred to as emerging infectious diseases, and this process is termed pathogen emergence. The current COVID-19 pandemic is one example of pathogen emergence and its dangers.
Emerging pathogens are a major public health threat, especially given their unpredictability and uncertain capability to infect humans. In particular, the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the transformation of microbes from harmless to harmful need to be better understood. To explore this transformation, Dr. López-Pérez and researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) developed a model system, using Vibrio vulnificus as an example, to analyze the genetic and environmental drivers of emerging pathogens. Their study’s resulting data can be applied towards screening the risk of potential emerging pathogens and thus preventing outbreaks from occurring.
V. vulnificus is a bacterial species that typically lives in marine and brackish environments, and although most Vibrio species are harmless, V. vulnificus can cause flesh-eating disease and sepsis. Unfortunately, vaccines and effective treatments currently do not exist for these often-fatal infections. Therefore, this lethal species serves as an appropriate model for studying and predicting emerging outbreaks. The UCF researchers isolated V. vulnificus samples at three different times from two sampling sites (Site A and Site B) in Eastern Florida, where outbreaks of this bacteria often occur. They then utilized genetic markers to identify each strain as belonging to four different clusters, or groupings based on genetic similarity, which are C1, C2, C3, and C4.
Emerging pathogens are a major public health threat, especially given their unpredictability and uncertain capability to infect humans. In particular, the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the transformation of microbes from harmless to harmful need to be better understood. To explore this transformation, Dr. López-Pérez and researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) developed a model system, using Vibrio vulnificus as an example, to analyze the genetic and environmental drivers of emerging pathogens. Their study’s resulting data can be applied towards screening the risk of potential emerging pathogens and thus preventing outbreaks from occurring.
V. vulnificus is a bacterial species that typically lives in marine and brackish environments, and although most Vibrio species are harmless, V. vulnificus can cause flesh-eating disease and sepsis. Unfortunately, vaccines and effective treatments currently do not exist for these often-fatal infections. Therefore, this lethal species serves as an appropriate model for studying and predicting emerging outbreaks. The UCF researchers isolated V. vulnificus samples at three different times from two sampling sites (Site A and Site B) in Eastern Florida, where outbreaks of this bacteria often occur. They then utilized genetic markers to identify each strain as belonging to four different clusters, or groupings based on genetic similarity, which are C1, C2, C3, and C4.
Image Source: PublicCo
Through genomic and phylogenetic analyses, the UCF researchers discovered significant patterns correlating genetic, phenotypic, and ecological traits with potential pathogenicity. For instance, most strains isolated from Site A belonged to C1, and shared pathogenic traits with clinical strains (strains which cause disease), most of which also belonged to C1. On the other hand, most strains isolated from site B belonged to C2. In regards to environmental differences, Site A is more similar to a marine environment and has high microbial diversity dominated by cyanobacteria, whereas Site B is more similar to a nutrient-rich, brackish environment with lower microbial diversity dominated by actinobacteria. Additionally, Site B has experienced more human disturbances compared to site A, as evidenced by nearby agricultural runoff and fecal contamination leading to its higher nutrient levels.
The mechanisms behind these associations between genetic and environmental factors and pathogenic potential need to be further investigated. However, by discovering correlations between the genetics, phenotypes, and environment of the bacterial strains and their possible pathogenicity, the data collected by Dr. López-Pérez and his team demonstrates a potentially significant role of the ecosystem in driving the evolution of emerging pathogens. For example, analyzing environments between different coronaviruses may improve understanding of how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, emerged. Thus, this framework can be utilized to rapidly survey possible emerging pathogens in general, thereby enabling the prediction, management, and prevention of outbreaks.
The mechanisms behind these associations between genetic and environmental factors and pathogenic potential need to be further investigated. However, by discovering correlations between the genetics, phenotypes, and environment of the bacterial strains and their possible pathogenicity, the data collected by Dr. López-Pérez and his team demonstrates a potentially significant role of the ecosystem in driving the evolution of emerging pathogens. For example, analyzing environments between different coronaviruses may improve understanding of how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, emerged. Thus, this framework can be utilized to rapidly survey possible emerging pathogens in general, thereby enabling the prediction, management, and prevention of outbreaks.
Featured Image Source: PublicDomainPictures
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