Unraveling the Global Phylodynamic and Phylogeographic Expansion of Mycoplasma gallisepticum: Understanding the Origin and Expansion of This Pathogen in Ecuador

Abstract

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is among the most significant problems in the poultry industry worldwide, representing a serious threat to international trade. Despite the fact that the mgc2 gene has been widely used for diagnostic and molecular characterization purposes, there is a lack of evidence supporting the reliability of this gene as a marker for molecular epidemiology approaches. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the accuracy of the mgc2 gene for phylogenetic, phylodynamic, and phylogeographic evaluations. Furthermore, the global phylodynamic expansion of MG is described, and the origin and extension of the outbreak caused by MG in Ecuador were tracked and characterized. The results obtained strongly supported the use of the mgc2 gene as a reliable phylogenetic marker and accurate estimator for the temporal and phylogeographic structure reconstruction of MG. The phylodynamic analysis denoted the failures in the current policies to control MG and highlighted the imperative need to implement more sensitive methodologies of diagnosis and more efficient vaccines. Framed in Ecuador, the present study provides the first piece of evidence of the circulation of virulent field MG strains in Ecuadorian commercial poultry. The findings derived from the current study provide novel and significant insights into the origin, diversification, and evolutionary process of MG globally.

Pooled molecular occurrence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae in poultry: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…In the United Kingdom, infection with both species is now controlled through vaccination (Ball et al., 2018). Despite the policies adopted to control MG in the United States, the measures have proven inefficient and thus have maintained this country as a relevant route for the dissemination of MG (De la Cruz et al., 2020). Indeed, Tomar et al.…”

Understanding the Genetic Diversity of Picobirnavirus: A Classification Update Based on Phylogenetic and Pairwise Sequence Comparison Approaches

“…Two sequence datasets ( n = 2542 sequences) containing all Picobirnavirus (PBV) genus capsid and RdRp coding regions were downloaded from the GenBank database ( ) accessed on 1 February 2021. Unique sequences were obtained by filtration according to De la Cruz et al [ 18 ] and deduplication with DAMBE software [ 19 , 20 ], keeping the most ancestral isolate/strain ( Tables S1 and S2 ). Two sequence datasets were prepared containing alignments of the entire coding regions for capsid and RdRp.…”

Genomic features of Mycoplasma bovis subtypes currently circulating in France

“…In conclusion, this work provides the scientific community with access to three new complete M. bovis genomes, which could be helpful for studies potentially combining phylogenetic data and phylodynamic methods, as was recently done for another Mycoplasma species that is pathogenic to birds [ 46 ]. It also expands the genome-based understanding of the differences between subtypes currently circulating in France or elsewhere in Europe.…”