Prevalent chromosome fusion in Vibrio cholerae O1

Aline Cuénod (), Denise Chac, Ashraful I. Khan, Fahima Chowdhury, Randy W. Hyppa, Susan M. Markiewicz, Amelia Rice, Akhil Kholwadwala, Stephen B. Calderwood, Edward T. Ryan, Jason B. Harris, Regina C. LaRocque, Taufiqur R. Bhuiyan, Gerald R. Smith, Firdausi Qadri, Patrick Lypaczewski (), Ana A. Weil () and B. Jesse Shapiro ()
Additional contact information
Aline Cuénod: McGill University
Denise Chac: University of Washington
Ashraful I. Khan: Bangladesh, (ICDDR, B)
Fahima Chowdhury: Bangladesh, (ICDDR, B)
Randy W. Hyppa: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Susan M. Markiewicz: University of Washington
Amelia Rice: University of Washington
Akhil Kholwadwala: McGill University
Stephen B. Calderwood: Massachusetts General Hospital
Edward T. Ryan: Massachusetts General Hospital
Jason B. Harris: Harvard Medical School
Regina C. LaRocque: Massachusetts General Hospital
Taufiqur R. Bhuiyan: Bangladesh, (ICDDR, B)
Gerald R. Smith: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Firdausi Qadri: Bangladesh, (ICDDR, B)
Patrick Lypaczewski: McGill University
Ana A. Weil: University of Washington
B. Jesse Shapiro: McGill University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Two circular chromosomes are a defining feature of the bacterial family Vibrionaceae, including the pathogen Vibrio cholerae, with rare reports of isolates with a single, fused chromosome. Here, we use long-read sequencing to analyse 467 V. cholerae O1 isolates from 47 cholera patients and household contacts in Bangladesh. We identify several independent chromosome fusion events that are likely transmissible within a household. Fusions occur in a 12 kilobase-pair homologous sequence shared between the two chromosomes and are stable for at least 200 generations under laboratory conditions. We find no detectable effect of fusion on V. cholerae growth, virulence factor expression, or biofilm formation. The factors promoting fusion, affecting chromosome stability, and subtle phenotypic or clinical consequences merit further investigation.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60699-0

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