Barun Mathema

Abstract Traditionally viewed as a hospital pathogen, multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae is emerging in community settings, yet its population structure and spread are currently undefined. A nationwide genomic survey of 2006 ceftriaxone-nonsusceptible outpatient isolates from 42 US states reveals that the spread of resistance is primarily driven by the blaCTX-M-15 extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) gene across diverse K. pneumoniae lineages.

Abstract Most microbes have the capacity to acquire genetic material from their environment. Recombination of foreign DNA yields genomes that are, at least in part, incongruent with the vertical history of their species. Dominant approaches for detecting these transfers are phylogenetic, requiring a painstaking series of analyses including alignment and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. These traditional pan-genomic methods do not scale.

For many complex reasons tuberculosis has the unenviable position of being the leading infectious cause of death, but a notable reason is that much about it is still unknown, particularly in relation to its transmission. A key pillar in tackling any epidemic is arresting transmission, but measures to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis have proven more elusive than might have been expected.