Extensive genomic diversity in Desulfovibrio reveals species-specific functional traits associated with disease.

Extensive genomic diversity in Desulfovibrio reveals species-specific traits linked to inflammatory diseases across 90 conditions and 32 countries.

• Why it matters: Understanding the role of Desulfovibrio in disease is limited by scarce genomes and isolates, hindering insights into their functional contributions to human health and inflammation.
• What they did: A database of 2,658 genomes was assembled, including 24 human isolates, and analyzed for species diversity, functional traits like flagellin and ureases, and H2S production capacity, across diverse disease contexts.
• The result: Findings show species-specific flagellin effects on immune signaling, with D. desulfuricans flagellin impairing immune tolerance, and that bacteria with tetrathionate metabolism are exclusive to inflammatory bowel diseases, linking strain traits to disease mechanisms.