2012年9月17日 訊 /生物谷BIOON/ --近日，一項刊登在著名雜志PLoS Pathogens上的研究報告“Insights from Genomics into Bacterial Pathogen Populations”中,，來自牛津大學人類遺傳學中心的研究者從基因組學角度來深入剖析了致病菌的致病機制,。
每年由于致病菌的感染、致病甚至死亡給全人類帶來了巨大的精神和經(jīng)濟負擔,。目前對人類健康最大威脅的致病菌包括高致病性呼吸道病原體、腸道病菌、HIV相關的感染病菌等,。僅僅肺結核，每年都會引發(fā)150人死亡,。
細菌的進化以及藥物耐受性的擴散給傳統(tǒng)的病原菌療法帶來了巨大沖擊,，然而通過對病原菌進行全基因組的測序或許可以尋找到細菌致病的關鍵基因，科學家就可以以其作為靶點來進行致病菌的特殊靶向治療,，進而殺滅病原菌,，抑制其感染。
通過提供病原菌的進化以及其流行病學調查數(shù)據(jù),，全基因組分析方法就可以為新型的細菌感染療法和靶向療法提供幫助,。通過全基因組方法對病原菌進行測序可以為我們提供一些信息包括：病原菌在宿主中的進化、轉移歷史,、病原菌的具體結構等,。而且快速的測序技術也可以開辟一個實時定量基因組學的新紀元，這樣,，研究者就可以在數(shù)小時之內解決公眾的病原菌健康隱患或緊急事件,。
這篇綜述文章的目的在于指出群體基因組學對于致病菌所帶來的變化效應，以及幫助我們更好地理解細菌的致病因子以及其致病的分子機理,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002874
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Insights from Genomics into Bacterial Pathogen Populations
Daniel J. Wilson1,2*
Bacterial pathogens impose a heavy burden of disease on human populations worldwide. The gravest threats are posed by highly virulent respiratory pathogens, enteric pathogens, and HIV-associated infections. Tuberculosis alone is responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million people annually. Treatment options for bacterial pathogens are being steadily eroded by the evolution and spread of drug resistance. However, population-level whole genome sequencing offers new hope in the fight against pathogenic bacteria. By providing insights into bacterial evolution and disease etiology, these approaches pave the way for novel interventions and therapeutic targets. Sequencing populations of bacteria across the whole genome provides unprecedented resolution to investigate (i) within-host evolution, (ii) transmission history, and (iii) population structure. Moreover, advances in rapid benchtop sequencing herald a new era of real-time genomics in which sequencing and analysis can be deployed within hours in response to rapidly changing public health emergencies. The purpose of this review is to highlight the transformative effect of population genomics on bacteriology, and to consider the prospects for answering abiding questions such as why bacteria cause disease.
