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Haemophilus influenzae: using comparative genomics to accurately identify a highly recombinogenic human pathogen

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Genomics, August 2015
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  • Good Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (73rd percentile)
  • Good Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (72nd percentile)

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Title
Haemophilus influenzae: using comparative genomics to accurately identify a highly recombinogenic human pathogen
Published in
BMC Genomics, August 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12864-015-1857-x
Pubmed ID
Authors

Erin P. Price, Derek S. Sarovich, Elizabeth Nosworthy, Jemima Beissbarth, Robyn L. Marsh, Janessa Pickering, Lea-Ann S. Kirkham, Anthony D. Keil, Anne B. Chang, Heidi C. Smith-Vaughan

Abstract

Haemophilus influenzae is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that exclusively colonises humans and is associated with both acute and chronic disease. Despite its clinical significance, accurate identification of H. influenzae is a non-trivial endeavour. H. haemolyticus can be misidentified as H. influenzae from clinical specimens using selective culturing methods, reflecting both the shared environmental niche and phenotypic similarities of these species. On the molecular level, frequent genetic exchange amongst Haemophilus spp. has confounded accurate identification of H. influenzae, leading to both false-positive and false-negative results with existing speciation assays. Whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism data from 246 closely related global Haemophilus isolates, including 107 Australian isolate genomes generated in this study, were used to construct a whole-genome phylogeny. Based on this phylogeny, H. influenzae could be differentiated from closely related species. Next, a H. influenzae-specific locus, fucP, was identified, and a novel TaqMan real-time PCR assay targeting fucP was designed. PCR specificity screening across a panel of clinically relevant species, coupled with in silico analysis of all species within the order Pasteurellales, demonstrated that the fucP assay was 100 % specific for H. influenzae; all other examined species failed to amplify. This study is the first of its kind to use large-scale comparative genomic analysis of Haemophilus spp. to accurately delineate H. influenzae and to identify a species-specific molecular signature for this species. The fucP assay outperforms existing H. influenzae targets, most of which were identified prior to the next-generation genomics era and thus lack validation across a large number of Haemophilus spp. We recommend use of the fucP assay in clinical and research laboratories for the most accurate detection and diagnosis of H. influenzae infection and colonisation.

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The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 8 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 48 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 48 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 11 23%
Student > Ph. D. Student 7 15%
Student > Master 7 15%
Other 4 8%
Student > Bachelor 3 6%
Other 7 15%
Unknown 9 19%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 10 21%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 10 21%
Immunology and Microbiology 9 19%
Medicine and Dentistry 5 10%
Business, Management and Accounting 1 2%
Other 2 4%
Unknown 11 23%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 5. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 25 September 2015.
All research outputs
#6,039,144
of 22,826,360 outputs
Outputs from BMC Genomics
#2,523
of 10,654 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#70,386
of 267,486 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Genomics
#71
of 255 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,826,360 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 73rd percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 10,654 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.7. This one has done well, scoring higher than 76% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 267,486 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 73% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 255 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 72% of its contemporaries.