{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Analysis of Treponema pallidum Strains From China Using Improved Methods for Whole-Genome Sequencing From Primary Syphilis Chancres.
{Author}: Chen W;Šmajs D;Hu Y;Ke W;Pospíšilová P;Hawley KL;Caimano MJ;Radolf JD;Sena A;Tucker JD;Yang B;Juliano JJ;Zheng H;Parr JB;
{Journal}: J Infect Dis
{Volume}: 223
{Issue}: 5
{Year}: 03 2021 3
{Factor}: 7.759
{DOI}: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa449
{Abstract}: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum (TPA) has been constrained by the lack of in vitro cultivation methods for isolating spirochetes from patient samples.<BR>We built upon recently developed enrichment methods to sequence TPA directly from primary syphilis chancre swabs collected in Guangzhou, China.<BR>By combining parallel, pooled whole-genome amplification with hybrid selection, we generated high-quality genomes from 4 of 8 chancre-swab samples and 2 of 2 rabbit-passaged isolates, all subjected to challenging storage conditions.<BR>This approach enabled the first WGS of Chinese samples without rabbit passage and provided insights into TPA genetic diversity in China.