Emergence and clonal expansion of Vibrio aestuarianus lineages pathogenic for oysters in Europe

Abstract

Crassostrea gigas oysters represent a significant global food source, with 4.7 million tons harvested per year. In 2001, the bacterium V. aesturianus francensis emerged as a pathogen that causes adult oyster mortality in France and Ireland. Its impact on oyster aquaculture has increased in Europe since its reemergence in 2012. To better understand the evolutionary mechanisms leading to the emergence and persistence over time of this pathogen, we conducted a survey of mollusk diseases through national reference laboratories (NRLs) across Europe. We analyzed 54 new genomes of V. aestuarianus (Va) isolated from multiple environmental compartments since 2001, in areas with and without bivalve mortalities. We used a combination of comparative genomics and population genetics approaches to show that Va francensis lineages have undergone clonal expansion in Europe, likely after a recent selective bottleneck. Low mutation and recombination rates may have selected particular virulent genotypes. Furthermore, we identified a specific cus-cop-containing island conferring copper resistance to Va francensis whose acquisition may have favored the emergence of pathogenic lineages adapted to oysters.