Whole-genome sequencing of >200 pathogenic and non-pathogenic species of the Yersinia genus of bacteria has revealed that pathogenic members of the genus — including Yersinia pestis (which causes bubonic plague) and Yersinia enterocolitica (which causes gastroenteritis) — have followed parallel evolutionary paths. Phylogenetic analysis shows that these two species did not share a recent common ancestor, as previously thought, but evolved independently to acquire virulence factors and to lose several metabolic genes on the transitional route to pathogenicity.
References
Reuter, S. et al. Parallel independent evolution of pathogenicity within the genus Yersinia. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 6768–6773 (2014)
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Jones, B. Parallel evolution of pathogenic Yersinia. Nat Rev Genet 15, 363 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3752
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3752