Visualization of Distribution of Pathogenicity Genomic Islands between Pathogenic, Nosocomial and Environmental Bacteria

Abstract

The recurrent outbreaks of pathogens that possess new virulence factors and broad range antibiotic resistance gene cassettes reflect the importance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the evolution of pathogenic bacteria. In many cases, the establishment of pathogens is mediated by the mobile genetic islands (GIs) which can easily be interchanged between bacterial taxa inhabiting the same or different environments. New computational tools to visualize and track down the network of distribution of GIs among bacteria are proposed in this work.