Research Article  Transformation of Natural Genetic Variation
into Haemophilus Influenzae Genomes    • Joshua Chang Mell,
Affiliation: University of British Columbia, Department of
Zoology, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada    • Svetlana
Shumilina,      Affiliation: University of Virginia School of
Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics,
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America    • Ira M.
Hall,     • Rosemary J. Redfield mail     • Published: July 28,
2011   • DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002151   Many bacteria are
able to efficiently bind and take up double-stranded DNA
fragments, and the resulting natural transformation shapes
bacterial genomes, transmits antibiotic resistance, and allows
escape from immune surveillance. The genomes of many competent
pathogens show evidence of extensive historical recombination
between lineages, but the actual recombination events have not
been well characterized. We used DNA from a clinical isolate of
Haemophilus influenzae to transfor