Hailong Zhao:
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Next generation sequencing (NGS) has been vital for identifying novel pathogens and for tracing the transmission of epidemic outbreaks. NGS promises to continue to provide valuable insights for relieving or preventing infectious diseases in the future. In this thesis, NGS was applied to two projects on pathogens.
The first project is based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) of Clostridium difficile. The paradoxical relationship between C.difficile and antibiotics as well as high recurrent rates have identified C. difficile infection (CDI) as a global urgent threat. However, a global perspective on the genomic and epidemiologic characteristics of this bacterium is missing to date. To fill this gap, 1501 clinical isolates were collected from 30 countries/regions across six continents to discover these patterns (Study 1).
In addition, the drug Bezlotoxumab against CDI has successfully decreased recurrence; however, it remains unknown whether benefits result from relapse (caused by the same strain) or reinfection (caused by a different strain). Therefore, the therapeutic efficacy in different recurrent patients was validated based on the genomic data (Study 2).
The second project is based on metatranscriptomic sequencing (MGS) of wildlife bats and rodents, the ideal reservoirs of many viruses, including zoonotic viruses that have caused global viral pandemics. However, most studies describe virome diversity merely based on a few targeted viral and host species, which provides little information on the comprehensive virome landscape. In Study 3, MGS was firstly used to perform broad-scale virome screening of 959 bats and 372 rodents in East Africa to fully understand the whole picture of virome.
In summary, the first project not only significantly enhances the available knowledge on the global landscape of evolution, distribution trends, antibiotic resistance, and toxin diversity of C. difficile, but also offers the possibility of precision therapy of recurrent CDI because of the capacity to distinguish between relapse and reinfection. Both biologists and clinicians are provided with information to potentially relieve the global burden of CDI. The second project discovered the comprehensive virome landscape in a hotspot region of zoonotic disease and evaluated the host, geographic, and ecological factors on the virome structure underlying the diversity and dispersal of viral communities. The gained fundamental knowledge is potentially instructive to better prepare for, strategize, and prevent future pandemics.