Horizontal gene transfer rate is not the primary determinant of observed antibiotic resistance frequencies in Streptococcus pneumoniae

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Date
2020-05-20Type
- Journal Article
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Abstract
The extent to which evolution is constrained by the rate at which horizontal gene transfer (HGT) allows DNA to move between genetic lineages is an open question, which we address in the context of antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. We analyze microbiological, genomic, and epidemiological data from the largest-to-date sequenced pneumococcal carriage study in 955 infants from a refugee camp on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Using a unified framework, we simultaneously test prior hypotheses on rates of HGT and a key evolutionary covariate (duration of carriage) as determinants of resistance frequencies. We conclude that in this setting, there is little evidence of HGT playing a major role in determining resistance frequencies. Instead, observed resistance frequencies are best explained as the outcome of selection acting on a pool of variants, irrespective of the rate at which resistance determinants move between genetic lineages. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000420658Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Science AdvancesVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
AAASOrganisational unit
03584 - Bonhoeffer, Sebastian / Bonhoeffer, Sebastian
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Citations
Cited 10 times in
Web of Science
Cited 10 times in
Scopus
ETH Bibliography
yes
Altmetrics