= Pradeep Reddy Marri
{c}
<Pradeep Reddy Marri> led a comparative <whole-genome sequencing> study of commensal and pathogenic <Neisseria>. The 2010 paper found that commensal <species> carry many <virulence> alleles and have extensive genetic exchange with other <Neisseria>. A harmless colonizer can therefore be a reservoir of genetic variants relevant to a pathogenic relative.<Genome Sequencing Reveals Widespread Virulence Gene Exchange among Human Neisseria Species by Pradeep Reddy Marri and others>[Abstract and Introduction: commensal genomes, virulence alleles and DNA exchange]{ref}
This connects <horizontal gene transfer> to the <evolution> of disease-associated traits. Possessing a particular <allele> does not by itself establish pathogenicity: its genomic context, regulation and host interaction also matter.
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