Bacterial Genes Tell the Tale of an Outbreak’s Evolution

Scientists retrace the evolution of an unusual bacterial infection as it spread among cystic fibrosis patients

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston have retraced the evolution of an unusual bacterial infection as it spread among cystic fibrosis patients by sequencing scores of samples collected during the outbreak, since contained. A significant achievement in genetic pathology, the work also suggests a new way to recognize adaptive mutations—to see evolution as it happens—and sheds new light on how our bodies resist infection.

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