Recombination of genes responsible for synthesis of major surface lipooligosaccharides, and consequent loss of these compounds in a Mycobacterium canettii-like progenitor, increased virulence and drove evolution from an environmental, relatively non-pathogenic status to virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of the present-day TB epidemic.
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Brennan, P. Bacterial evolution: Emergence of virulence in TB. Nat Microbiol 1, 15031 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2015.31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2015.31
