Phylogenomic analysis of the zoonotic pathogen Vibrio vulnificus

Resumen del trabajo presentado a la VII Biennial Congress of Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SEBE), celebrada en Sevilla (España) del 5 al 7 de febrero de 2020.Vibrio vulnificus (Vv) is a multi-host pathogenic species whose geographic distribution is spreading due to global warming. The species has been classically subdivided into three biotypes (Bts) defined by phenotypic traits and host range. The three Bts are human pathogens, but only Bt2 is also a fish pathogen, a capacity that is conferred by a transferable virulence plasmid (pVvbt2). Previous work using the core genome of 80 Vv strains belonging to the three Bts invalidated the subdivision of the species into Bts and proposed a subdivision into five phylogenetic groups or lineages (L) plus a pathovar defined by the possession of pVvbt2 and the ability to infect fish. The objective of this work has been to gain insights on the evolution of Vv as a species, significantly increasing the number of genomes and analyzing them in depth with a special emphasis on the core genome and the virulence plasmid. Preliminary results confirm that the species is subdivided into five phylogenetic lineages and highlights the great diversity of the virulence plasmid, which has been transmitted between the lineages and other Vibrio species.Peer reviewe