1932

Abstract

is among the most successful parasites. It is capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals and causing opportunistic disease in humans. has a striking clonal population structure consisting of three predominant lineages in North America and Europe. Clonality is associated with the recent emergence of a monomorphic version of Chr1a, which drove a selective genetic sweep within the past 10,000 years. Strains from South America diverged from those in North America some 1–2 mya; recently, however, the monomorphic Chr1a has extended into regions of South America, where it is also associated with clonality. The recent spread of a few dominant lineages has dramatically shaped the population structure of and has resulted in most lineages sharing a highly pathogenic nature. Understanding the factors that have shaped the population structure of has implications for the emergence and transmission of human pathogens.

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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.micro.62.081307.162925
2008-10-13
2024-03-28
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  • Article Type: Review Article
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