Genome comparison of Pseudomonas aerugnosa clone ST253 (clone PA14) strain

ST253 studyClone ST253 is among the most frequent clonal lineages within the worldwide Pseudomonas aeruginosa population and the most prevalent ExoU-positive clone. Its representatives are associated with acute as well as with chronic human infections but can also be found in aquatic and soil habitats. One of the most used P. aeruginosa reference isolates, strain PA14, belongs to this clonal lineage. We have genome sequenced clone ST253 strains from our collection and looked for individual mutations and genome diversity between the strains but also for clone-specific traits that might distinguish ST253 from other lineages. The ST253 results were also used for genome comparisons with strains of clone ST235, another ExoU- positive lineage that has emerged as the most prevalent international high-risk P. aeruginosa clone within the last years.