Whole genome sequences of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae isolates obtained from investigations of wildlife mortalities in northern Canada from 2013 - 2023

Researchers from the University of Calgary and Government of Nunavut, Canada and from the University of Glasgow, UK, conducted an investigation into muskox mortalities on Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg islands, Nunavut, Canada from 2021 - 2023. During this time, samples were collected for diagnostic testing, and the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was isolated from the majority of muskox carcasses. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed that a particular clonal strain, known as the Arctic clone, was associated with the majority of cases. It was also isolated from the faeces of birds and carnivores nearby carcass sites, from soil below carcasses, and from insect larvae found on carcasses. This strain has been previously isolated from other islands in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. This dataset comprises WGS data of E. rhusiopathiae that has been publicly deposited in the European Nucleotide Archive from these recent mortality events, as well as from isolates that had been opportunistically collected from other areas in northern Canada between 2015 and 2023. Finally, some previously-described E. rhusiopathiae isolates, collected from different areas of northern Canada between 2013 and 2021, were re-sequenced to obtain better coverage and/or to generate an Arctic clone reference genome. Metadata on the host species, date and location of collection, and sample accession numbers are provided.

This study was supported financially and in kind by the Canada-Inuit Nunangat-United Kingdom (CINUK) Arctic Research Programme (NE/X002616/1, UKRI; 10034609, Polar); the Government of Nunavut Department of Environment; the Polar Continental Shelf Program (PCSP, Project #s 30622, 63222, 32423, 62523, and 62924); the Van Sloun Foundation; the Arthur French Family Foundation; Polar Knowledge Canada (NST-2122-0049), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada - Canada Research Chair in Arctic One Health (NSERC CRC, CRC-2020-00315); Canada North Outfitting, NSERC Discovery Grants Program - Northern Research Supplement (RGPNS-2021-02796); Weber Arctic; Apex Geoscience; American West Metals Ltd.; and Aston Bay Holdings Ltd.