This study shows the Kappa prophage provides a competitive fitness advantage to Vibrio cholerae through phage predation, but its spread is restricted by BREX and AbiC phage defense systems.

bioRxiv · Oct 19, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

Capturing dynamic phage-pathogen coevolution by clinical surveillance

Yamini Mathur, Caroline M. Boyd, Jeannette E. Farnham, Md Mamun Monir, Mohammad Tarequl Islam, Marzia Sultana, Tahmeed Ahmed, Munirul Alam, Kimberley D. Seed

The paper uses clinical surveillance in Bangladesh to study phage-pathogen coevolution in Vibrio cholerae, identifying a parasitic MGE that drives a selective sweep during a major outbreak.

Nature · Mar 11, 2026Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Aeromonas: Genomic Insights into an Environmental Pathogen and Reservoir of Antimicrobial Resistance

Nisha Singh, Rahma O. Golicha, Chetan Thakur, Mathew A. Beale, Matthew J. Dorman, Adrián Cazares, Alyce Taylor–Brown, Fatema‐Tuz Johura, Mahamud‐ur Rashid, Shirajum Monira, Fatema Zohura, Tahmina Parveen, SH Bhuiyan, Marzia Sultana, Balvinder Mohan, , Nicholas Robert Thomson

This study analyzes 1,853 Aeromonas genomes, revealing high genetic diversity, widespread AMR genes, and frequent misidentification as Vibrio cholerae.

bioRxiv · May 22, 2025 · PreprintGenomics

The Role of Morphological Adaptability in Vibrio cholerae's Motility and Pathogenicity

Jun Xu, Keigo Abe, Toshio Kodama, Marzia Sultana, Denise Chac, Susan M. Markiewicz, Hideyuki Matsunami, Erika Kuba, Shiyu Tsunoda, Munirul Alam, Ana A. Weil, Shuichi Nakamura, Tetsu Yamashiro

This study examines how morphological changes in Vibrio cholerae affect its motility and pathogenicity in different viscosity environments.

mBio · Nov 29, 2024Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Genomic characteristics of recently recognized Vibrio cholerae El Tor lineages associated with cholera in Bangladesh, 1991-2017

Md Mamun Monir, Talal Hossain, Masatomo Morita, Makoto Ohnishi, Fatema‐Tuz Johura, Marzia Sultana, Shirajum Monira, Tahmeed Ahmed, Nicholas Robert Thomson, Haruo Watanabe, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, Kimberley D. Seed, Munirul Alam

The paper performs a genomic analysis of Vibrio cholerae El Tor strains from Bangladesh, identifying two lineages, BD-1 and BD-2, and their distinct genomic traits and epidemiological implications.

Microbiology Spectrum · Mar 22, 2022Peer-reviewedGenomics

Vibrio cholerae El Tor strains linked to global cholera are homogeneous by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

Fatema‐Tuz Johura, Sahitya Ranjan Biswas, Shah Manzur Rashed, Mohammad Tarequl Islam, Saiful Islam, Marzia Sultana, Anwar Huq, Nicholas Robert Thomson, Rita R. Colwell, Haruo Watanabe, Munirul Alam

The paper uses PFGE to analyze V. cholerae El Tor strains from Bangladesh and other countries, finding most pandemic strains belong to a major clade with distinct geographic lineages.

bioRxiv · Nov 22, 2021 · PreprintMolecular Biology