Developing methods for generating genomic data from challenging-to-culture bacterial pathogens

Sequence data are increasingly relied upon to help understand the epidemiology, evolution and virulence of pathogens. However, many bacterial species remain challenging to culture, precluding genomic data to be obtained using standard methods. We applied a culture-free method – target-enrichment sequencing – to obtain genomic data from two bacterial species of public health importance: the bacterium that causes anthrax (Bacillus anthracis), and an emerging respiratory pathogen (Mycoplasma amphoriforme). This approach enabled high-coverage sequence data to be obtained for both species and is facilitating ongoing studies.