Host breadth, genomic exchange and antimicrobial-resistance evolution in East African Campylobacter
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli occupy diverse animal reservoirs, yet the genomic processes associated with variation in host breadth remain poorly resolved in East Africa. Publicly available isolate-level whole-genome sequencing data from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were analysed using a standardized population-genomic workflow. After genome reconstruction, species…
A comprehensive analysis of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli whole-genome sequences from East Africa has revealed that their host breadth is not primarily driven by simple lineage-wide measures of genome exchange, human presence, or antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) burden. The study, which examined 722 genomes of C. jejuni and 136 genomes of C. coli, found no significant association between host breadth and key genomic factors in sufficiently represented Ethiopian C. jejuni lineages.
While six lineages were found to recur outside Ethiopia, none were consistently observed in at least two validation countries, and the limited animal sampling in validation countries prevented definitive conclusions about host-breadth or AMR associations. Recurrent within-lineage AMR evolution was limited to specific determinants and combinations, suggesting localized interspecies introgression rather than whole-genome admixture.
These results indicate that the spread of Campylobacter in East African populations is influenced by complex interactions of factors such as ecological opportunity, selective genomic variation, and population history, rather than straightforward lineage-wide genome exchange or AMR burdens.
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