Unveiling H. pylori's Global Population Structure through Genome Analysis
The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project (HpGP) has analyzed 1011 H. pylori genomes from 50 countries, providing insights into the population structure of this bacterium. The analysis revealed four main population clusters: Southwest Europe, Northern and Central Europe, Western and Southern Africa, and North, Central, and East Asia. Within Europe, three main subpopulations were identified: hspNEurope, hspSWEurope, and hspEurasia. Central Asia was described with increased resolution, identifying hpAsia2, hpNorthAsia, and hspUral as distinct subpopulations. The dataset also included African and African-descent genomes, Latin American subpopulations, and Indigenous American H. pylori strains, each with their own unique ancestral contributions. Additionally, a deep clone of H. pylori was identified in the United States. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the global population structure of H. pylori.