Scaffolding of a bacterial genome using MinION nanopore sequencing.

Second generation sequencing has revolutionized genomic studies. However, most genomes contain repeated DNA elements that are longer than the read lengths achievable with typical sequencers, so the genomic order of several generated contigs cannot be easily resolved. A new generation of sequencers offering substantially longer reads is emerging, notably the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RS II system and the MinION system, released in early 2014 by Oxford Nanopore Technologies through an early access program. The latter has highly advantageous portability and sequences samples by measuring changes in ionic current when single-stranded DNA molecules are translocated through nanopores. We show that the MinION system produces long reads with high mapability that can be used for scaffolding bacterial genomes, despite currently producing substantially higher error rates than PacBio reads. With further development we anticipate that MinION will be useful not only for assembling genomes, but also for rapid detection of organisms, potentially in the field.

Genomic analyses of Francisella tularensis strains confirm disease transmission from drinking water sources, Turkey, 2008, 2009 and 2012.

Waterborne epidemics of tularaemia caused by Francisella tularensis are increasingly reported in Turkey. We have used whole genome sequencing to investigate if F. tularensis isolated from patients could be traced back to drinking water sources. Tonsil swabs from 33 patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal tularaemia in three outbreaks and 140 water specimens were analysed. F. tularensis subsp. holarctica was confirmed by microagglutination and PCR in 12 patients and five water specimens. Genomic analysis of three pairs of patient and water isolates from outbreaks in Sivas, Çorum, and Kocaeli showed the isolates to belong to two new clusters of the F. tularensis B.12 genetic clade. The clusters were defined by 19 and 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a multiple alignment based on 507 F. tularensis genomes. One synonymous SNP was chosen as a new canonical SNP (canSNP) for each cluster for future use in diagnostic assays. No SNP was identified between the genomes from the patient­water pair of isolates from Kocaeli, one SNP between the pair of isolates from Sivas, whereas the pair from Çorum differed at seven SNPs. These results illustrate the power of whole genome sequencing for tracing F. tularensis patient isolates back to their environmental source.

Phylogeographical pattern of Francisella tularensis in a nationwide outbreak of tularaemia in Norway, 2011.

In 2011, a nationwide outbreak of tularaemia occurred in Norway with 180 recorded cases. It was associated with the largest peak in lemming density seen in 40 years. Francisella tularensis was isolated from 18 patients. To study the geographical distribution of F.tularensis genotypes in Norway and correlate genotype with epidemiology and clinical presentation,we performed whole genome sequencing of patient isolates. All 18 genomes from the outbreak carried genetic signatures of F. tularensis subsp. holarctica and were assigned to genetic clades using canonical single nucleotide polymorphisms. Ten isolates were assigned to major genetic clade B.6 (subclade B.7),seven to clade B.12, and one to clade B.4. The B.6 subclade B.7 was most common in southern and central Norway, while clade B.12 was evenly distributed between the southern, central and northern parts of the country. There was no association between genotype and clinical presentation of tularaemia, time of year or specimen type. We found extensive sequence similarity with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica genomes from high-endemic tularaemia areas in Sweden.Finding nearly identical genomes across large geographical distances in Norway and Sweden imply a life cycle of the bacterium without replication between the outbreaks and raise new questions about long-range migration mechanisms.