Metagenomic approach for within-host genomic diversity in bacteremia

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K17933
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Laboratory medicine; Bacteriology (including mycology)
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Gotoh Yasuhiro 九州大学, 医学研究院, 助教 (20558358)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 遺伝的多様性 / 菌血症 / メタゲノム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Diagnosis of bacteremia is performed by identification of bacterial pathogen using blood culture technique and single colony isolation. However, the causative bacteria present in the patient are not necessarily single clone. It is possible that some genetic diversity exists, and further changes will be occurred by treatment or host immunity. In this study, we performed population genetics and metagenomic analysis to reveal the genetic diversity of the causative bacteria present in individual patients and their variation in cases of bacteremia.

Free Research Field

細菌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

菌血症を発症した血液中の病原細菌を集団として捉えて、集団遺伝学的な視点から、その遺伝的多様性を解析するという新しい発想に基づく研究であり、特定の分離菌株のみを対象とする従来の解析では得られなかった菌血症の発症・進展に係わる新たな知見が得られた。