Genomic Deletion Marking an Emerging Subclone of
\u3ci\u3eFrancisella tularensis\u3c/i\u3e subsp. \u3ci\u3eholarctica\u3c/i\u3e in France
and the Iberian Peninsula
Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica is widely disseminated in North America and the boreal and temperate regions of the Eurasian continent. Comparative genomic analyses identified a 1.59-kb genomic deletion specific to F. tularensis subsp. holarctica isolates from Spain and France. Phylogenetic analysis of strains carrying this deletion by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis showed that the strains comprise a highly related set of genotypes, implying that these strains were recently introduced or recently emerged by clonal expansion in France and the Iberian Peninsula
