Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a role in bacterial evolution, facilitating the acquisition of beneficial traits like antibiotic resistance and virulence factors, enabling adaptation to changing environments. However, the extent and impact of HGT in the evolution of Salmonella, particularly in the context of increasing invasiveness, remains poorly understood. This project aims to elucidate the prevalence and role of HGT in the evolution of invasive Salmonella (S.) enterica serovar Typhimurium, a major cause of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) disease in sub-Saharan Africa. By integrating bioinformatics with classical bacterial wet-lab technologies, the project seeks to characterize HGT events and assess recombination rates in invasive clinical isolates, using whole-genome sequencing data, phylogenetic analyses, and bacterial recombination techniques. Furthermore, this project aims to develop a novel technology for the reverse evolutionary reconstruction of extinct ancestor strains using the principles of recombination, which will contribute to our understanding of bacterial evolution and pathogenesis. Overall, this research project will provide insights into the mechanisms involved in the evolution towards invasiveness of S. Typhimurium, with potential implications for public health, and the application of recombination to reconstruct ancestor strains will be groundbreaking from a synthetic biology perspective.
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