The project Adapt-Myco was selected as part of the first call for projects of the SAARA thematic network. Created in 2018, this network brings together ANSES, INRAE and VetAgro Sup and aims to promote interdisciplinary collaborations between research organizations in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region on animal health and welfare. This first project involves UMR MYCO (Animal mycoplasmosis – ANSES and VetAgro Sup), and UMR EPIA (Epidemiology of animal and zoonotic diseases – INRAE and VetAgro Sup). It aims to shed light on the evolution of two species of mycoplasma, pathogenic bacteria, through an approach ofgenomic epidemiology.
Two populations that have evolved differently
In France, the species Mycoplasma bovis causes primarily respiratory diseases in cattle, while Mycoplasma mycoidessubspecies capriinduces contagious agalactia in goats. These two mycoplasma populations have evolved very differently : that affecting cattle has become very homogeneous, even clonal in France, and has developed strong resistance to antibiotics since the 2000s. Conversely, that contaminating goats remains very heterogeneous and mostly sensitive to antibiotics. The aim of the project is to understand why these two species evolved differently, particularly in connection with farming practices.
For this, the team of scientists has a collection of strains kept as part of the activities of the Vigimyc epidemiological surveillance network, led by UMR MYCO. This collection is very complete, the characteristics of the strains and the conditions of collection are known precisely. A hundred strains of each species of mycoplasma were selected according to various criteria. The genomes from these strains will be fully sequenced and compared with each other, to clarify the evolutionary history of each population, and how this history may have been shaped by breeding practices. The project officially started in September 2020. It is co-financed by the partner organizations, for an amount of €20,000. The first results are expected for the second half of 2021.