Monica I Abrudan

Wellcome Sanger Institute · Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance

Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the leading causes of infections worldwide and a common cause of bacteraemia. However, studies documenting the epidemiology of S. aureus in South America using genomics are scarce. We hereby report on the largest genomic epidemiology study to date of both methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-su...

Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the leading causes of infections worldwide and a common cause of bacteremia. However, studies documenting the epidemiology of S. aureus in South America (SA) using genomics are scarce. We hereby report on the largest to date genomic epidemiology study of both methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicilli...

Background S. aureus is a major pathogen in India, causing nosocomial infections, but little is known about its molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of resistance in hospital settings. Here, we use WGS to characterize 508 S. aureus clinical isolates collected across India and analyze them in a global context. Methods Whole-genome sequencing was p...

Background Klebsiella pneumoniae is a World Health Organization high-priority antibiotic-resistant pathogen. However, little is known about Klebsiella lineages circulating in Nigeria. Methods We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 141 Klebsiella isolated between 2016 and 2018 from clinical specimens at 3 antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) senti...

Background Klebsiella species, including the notable pathogen K. pneumoniae, are increasingly associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Genome-based surveillance can inform interventions aimed at controlling AMR. However, its widespread implementation requires tools to streamline bioinformatic analyses and public health reporting. Methods We...

In this Supplement, we detail outputs of the National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit on Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance project, covering practical implementation of whole-genome sequencing across our consortium, which consists of laboratories in Colombia, India, Nigeria, and the Philippines.

Performing whole genome sequencing (WGS) for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance offers the ability to determine not only the antimicrobials to which rates of resistance are increasing, but also the evolutionary mechanisms and transmission routes responsible for the increase at local, national, and global scales. To derive WGS-based output...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered a global threat, and novel drug discovery needs to be complemented with systematic and standardized epidemiological surveillance. Surveillance data are currently generated using phenotypic characterization. However, due to poor scalability, this approach does little for true epidemiological investigation...

Background Klebsiella pneumoniae is a critically important pathogen in the Philippines. Isolates are commonly resistant to at least 2 classes of antibiotics, yet mechanisms and spread of its resistance are not well studied. Methods A retrospective sequencing survey was performed on carbapenem-, extended spectrum beta-lactam-, and cephalosporin-res...

Background Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is an emerging public health problem. This study explores the specifics of CRKP epidemiology in Colombia based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the National Reference Laboratory at Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS)’s 2013–2017 sample collection. Methods A total of 425 CRKP isolates fr...

Advanced genomics and sequencing technologies are increasingly becoming critical for global health applications such as pathogen and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance. Limited resources challenge capacity development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with few countries having genomics facilities and adequately trained staff. Tr...

The administration and governance of grant funding across global health organizations presents enormous challenges. Meeting these challenges is crucial to ensuring that funds are used in the most effective way to improve health outcomes, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3, “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being fo...

Background Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a threat to public health in India because of its high dissemination, mortality, and limited treatment options. Its genomic variability is reflected in the diversity of sequence types, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms. This study aims to characterize the...

Escherichia coli bloodstream infections are typically attributed to a limited number of lineages that carry virulence factors associated with invasion and, in recent years, are increasingly multiply antimicrobial resistant. In Nigeria, E. coli is a common cause of bloodstream infections but the identity of circulating clones is largely unknown and...

Objectives Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has acquired worldwide recognition as a serious nosocomial infection. It poses a concern to hospitalized patients because of the limited therapeutic options available. Thus, we investigated the molecular epidemiology and antibiotic resistance profiles of A. baumannii isolates in India....

Performing whole genome sequencing (WGS) for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) offers the ability to determine not only the antimicrobials to which rates of resistance are increasing, but also the evolutionary mechanisms and transmission routes responsible for the increase at local, national, and global scales. To derive WGS-based...

Background Klebsiella species, including the notable pathogen K. pneumoniae , are increasingly associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Genome-based surveillance can inform interventions aimed at controlling AMR. However, its widespread implementation requires tools to streamline bioinformatic analyses and public health reporting. Methods W...

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is an emerging public health problem. This study explores the specifics of CRKP epidemiology in Colombia based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the National Reference Laboratory at Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS)′s 2013-2017 sample collection. Methods: A total of 425 CRKP isolates f...

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a threat to public health in India due to its high dissemination, mortality, and limited treatment options. Its genomic variability is reflected in the diversity of sequence types, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms. This study aims to characterize the cl...

Advanced genomics and sequencing technologies are increasingly becoming critical for global health applications such as pathogen and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance. Limited resources challenge capacity development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with few countries having genomics facilities and adequately trained staff. Tr...

Background Klebsiella pneumoniae is a critically important pathogen in the Philippines. Isolates are commonly resistant to at least two classes of antibiotics, yet mechanisms and spread of its resistance are not well studied. Methods A retrospective sequencing survey was performed on carbapenem-, extended spectrum beta-lactam- and cephalosporin-re...

Introduction: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a World Health Organization high-priority antibiotic-resistant pathogen. However, little is known about the population structure and evolution of Klebsiella circulating in Nigeria. Methods: We performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 141 Klebsiella isolated between 2016 and 2018 from clinical specimens at 3...

The global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and lack of novel alternative treatments have been declared a global public health emergency by WHO. The greatest impact of AMR is experienced in resource-poor settings, because of lack of access to alternative antibiotics and because the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains may be...

We report full-length draft de novo genome assemblies for 16 widely used inbred mouse strains and find extensive strain-specific haplotype variation. We identify and characterize 2,567 regions on the current mouse reference genome exhibiting the greatest sequence diversity. These regions are enriched for genes involved in pathogen defence and immun...

Quorum sensing (QS), where bacteria secrete and respond to chemical signals to coordinate population-wide behaviors, has revealed that bacteria are highly social. Here, we investigate how diversity in QS signals and receptors can modify social interactions controlled by the QS system regulating bacteriocin secretion in Streptococcus pneumoniae, enc...

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare, but devastating genetic disease characterized by segmental premature aging, with cardiovascular disease being the main cause of death. Cells from HGPS patients accumulate progerin, a permanently farnesylated, toxic form of Lamin A, disrupting the nuclear shape and chromatin organization, leadin...

The most commonly employed mammalian model organism is the laboratory mouse. A wide variety of genetically diverse inbred mouse strains, representing distinct physiological states, disease susceptibilities, and biological mechanisms have been developed over the last century. We report full length draft de novo genome assemblies for 16 of the most w...

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare but devastating genetic disease characterized by segmental premature aging, with cardiovascular disease being the main cause of death. Cells from HGPS patients accumulate progerin, a permanently farnesylated, toxic form of Lamin A, disrupting nuclear shape and chromatin organization, leading to...

Mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons play central roles in the regulation of a wide range of brain functions, including voluntary movement and behavioral processes. These functions are served by distinct subtypes of mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the ventral tegmental area, which form the nigrostria...

Huge numbers of microbes coexist in almost all habitats of our planet. Their interactions are governed by complex mechanisms, where both competition for resources and toxin production play important roles. Our goal is to understand key mechanisms that lead to coexistence. In this chapter we study many possible scenarios of microbial interactions an...

The opportunistic pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae is commonly carried asymptomatically in the human nasopharynx. Due to high rates of co-colonization with other pneumococcus strains, intraspecific competitive interactions partly determine the carriage duration of strains and thereby their potential to cause disease. These interactions may be medi...

Significance Antibiotics have profoundly changed human medicine, yet we know surprisingly little about the role of antibiotics in nature for the bacteria that produce them. Here we examine antibiotic use in the prolific antibiotic-producing genus Streptomyces across divergent social and competitive growth conditions. Our results provide clear exper...

Bacteriocins are usually viewed as the effective weapons of bacterial killers. However, killing competitors with bacteriocins may be not only a means of eliminating other strains, but also a crucial unappreciated mechanism promoting bacterial diversity. In the present short review, we summarize recent empirical and theoretical studies examining the...