The population genomics of within-hostMycobacterium tuberculosis

Recent progress in genomic sequencing from patient samples has allowed for the first detailed insight into the within-host genetic diversity ofMycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB), revealing remarkably low levels of variation. While this has often been attributed to low mutation rates, other factors have been described, including resistance evolution (i.e., selective sweeps), widespread purifying and background selection, and, more recently, progeny skew. Here we review recent findings pertaining to the processes governing the evolutionary dynamics ofM.TB, discuss their implications for improving our understanding of this important human pathogen, and make recommendations for future work. Significantly, this emerging evolutionary framework involving the joint estimation of demographic, selective, and reproductive processes is forming a new paradigm for the study of within-host pathogen evolution that will be widely applicable across organisms.

Automated summary

Recent genomic sequencing of patient samples has revealed low levels of genetic diversity within Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB), attributed to various factors. This emerging evolutionary framework is forming a new paradigm for studying within-host pathogen evolution.