LmTraceMap: A Listeria monocytogenes fast-tracing platform for global surveillance

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, and people with hypoimmunity such as pregnant women, infants and fetuses are at high risk of invasive infection. Although the incidence of listeriosis is low, the fatality rate is high. Therefore, continual surveillance and rapid epidemiological investigation are crucial for addressing L. monocytogenes. Because of the popularity of next-generation sequencing, obtaining the whole-genome sequence of a bacterium is easy. Several genome-based typing methods are available, and core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) is the most recognized methods. Using cgMLST typing to compare L. monocytogenes whole-genome sequences (WGS) with those obtained across distinct regions is beneficial. However, the concern is how to incorporate the powerful cgMLST method into investigations, such as by using source tracing. Herein, we present an easy-to-use web service called–LmTraceMap (http://lmtracemap.cgu.edu.tw/hua_map/test/upload.php; http://120.126.17.192/hua_map/test/upload.php) that can help public-health professionals rapidly trace closely related isolates worldwide and visually inspect them in search results on a world map with labeled epidemiological data. We expect the proposed service to improve the convenience of public health investigations.