Babesia microti from humans and ticks hold a genomic signature of strong population structure in the United States
Carpi G, Walter KS, Mamoun CB, Krause PJ, Kitchen A, Lepore TJ, Dwivedi A, Cornillot E, Caccone A, Diuk-Wasser MA. Babesia microti from humans and ticks hold a genomic signature of strong population structure in the United States. BMC Genomics 2016, 17: 888. PMID: 27821055, PMCID: PMC5100190, DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3225-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsStrong population structurePopulation structureGenome-wide diversityDifferentiated genetic clustersRecent population expansionB. microti samplesTick-borne apicomplexan parasiteB. microtiNortheastern USAGene flowEvolutionary originApicomplexan parasitesApicoplast genomeGenetic clustersGenomic variationPopulation expansionGeographic rangeRange expansionGenomic signaturesCurrent diversityHuman-derived samplesInfectious phenotypeTick vectorCapture strategyDiversityVectors as Epidemiological Sentinels: Patterns of Within-Tick Borrelia burgdorferi Diversity
Walter KS, Carpi G, Evans BR, Caccone A, Diuk-Wasser MA. Vectors as Epidemiological Sentinels: Patterns of Within-Tick Borrelia burgdorferi Diversity. PLOS Pathogens 2016, 12: e1005759. PMID: 27414806, PMCID: PMC4944968, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005759.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPathogen diversityPositive selectionVertebrate hostsHost pathogen diversityLyme disease bacteriaNatural transmission cycleNatural populationsPathogen evolutionGenomic variationHost diversityMajority of ticksHost processesDiverse inoculumUndocumented levelEvolutionary processesTick diversityDisease vectorsMixed strain infectionsImmune complementIndividual ticksDiversityEpidemiological sentinelsTick vectorTransmission cycleHost