Séminaire CIRI (14.09.2023) : Dr. Javier Pizarro-Cerda

Dr.Javier Pizarro-Cerda, institut Pasteur Paris: "Yersinia species as model bacteria to study host/pathogen interactions & evolution"

Abstract: The genus Yersinia includes environmental bacteria as well as pathogens for insects (Y. entomophaga), fishes (Y. ruckeri) and humans (Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis). Yersinia spp. are therefore excellent models to study the emergence and evolution of pathogenic traits in the bacterial world, as well as host/pathogen interactions. We take advantage of epidemiological surveillance and genomic sequencing data of our historical bacterial collections to characterize the diversity within the Yersinia genus, studying in particular the evolutionary divergence between the enteropathogen Y. pseudotuberculosis and the plague agent Y. pestis. We also take advantage of ancient human DNA data and immunological studies to investigate the impact of medieval plague on the evolution of the human immune system.