Population heterogeneity in Helicobacter pylori PMSS1 shapes variable mouse infectivity: derivation of the homogeneous reference strain PMSS2

ABSTRACT Experimental infection models are widely used to investigate host–microbe interactions, often under the assumption that bacterial populations are genetically uniform. Here, we examined population heterogeneity in the widely used Helicobacter pylori strain PMSS1 and its relationship to variation in mouse infectivity. Single-colony isolates derived from PMSS1 displayed substantial differences in colonization efficiency, indicating that pre-existing variation within the population contributes to infection outcomes. To distinguish the effects of initial population heterogeneity from changes arising during infection, we analyzed PMSS2, a genetically homogeneous reference strain derived from PMSS1 that exhibited consistent infection phenotypes across independently isolated clones. Comparative genomic analysis of isolates recovered from infected mice revealed differences in the extent and patterns of genomic variation between PMSS1- and PMSS2-derived populations. These results demonstrate that variability in infection outcomes can arise from pre-existing heterogeneity within bacterial populations and highlight the importance of considering population composition when interpreting experimental infection studies. IMPORTANCE Animal infection models are widely used to study how bacterial pathogens cause disease and change during infection. These studies often assume that the bacteria used for infection are genetically uniform. Our study shows that this assumption may not always hold. We found that a commonly used Helicobacter pylori strain contains hidden genetic diversity that leads to large differences in how well bacteria infect mice. By comparing this strain with a genetically uniform derivative, we show how differences present before infection can shape infection outcomes and influence the genetic changes observed during infection. Our findings highlight the importance of considering starting population diversity when interpreting experimental infection studies and are broadly relevant to research on microbial pathogenesis.