Genomic analysis of the Meningococcal ST-4821 complex – western clade, potential sexual transmission and predicted antibiotic susceptibility and vaccine coverage

Lucidarme, J. et al. (2020) Genomic analysis of the Meningococcal ST-4821 complex – western clade, potential sexual transmission and predicted antibiotic susceptibility and vaccine coverage. PLoS ONE, 15(12), e0243426. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243426) (PMID:33301524) (PMCID:PMC7728179)

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Abstract

Introduction: The ST-4821 complex (cc4821) is a leading cause of serogroup C and serogroup B invasive meningococcal disease in China where diverse strains in two phylogenetic groups (groups 1 and 2) have acquired fluoroquinolone resistance. cc4821 was recently prevalent among carriage isolates in men who have sex with men in New York City (USA). Genome-level population studies have thus far been limited to Chinese isolates. The aim of the present study was to build upon these with an extended panel of international cc4821 isolates. Methods: Genomes of isolates from Asia (1972 to 2017), Europe (2011 to 2018), North America (2007), and South America (2014) were sequenced or obtained from the PubMLST Neisseria database. Core genome comparisons were performed in PubMLST. Results: Four lineages were identified. Western isolates formed a distinct, mainly serogroup B sublineage with alleles associated with fluoroquinolone susceptibility (MIC <0.03 mg/L) and reduced penicillin susceptibility (MIC 0.094 to 1 mg/L). A third of these were from anogenital sites in men who have sex with men and had unique denitrification gene alleles. Generally 4CMenB vaccine strain coverage was reliant on strain-specific NHBA peptides. Discussion: The previously identified cc4821 group 2 was resolved into three separate lineages. Clustering of western isolates was surprising given the overall diversity of cc4821. Possible association of this cluster with the anogenital niche is worthy of monitoring given concerns surrounding antibiotic resistance and potential subcapsular vaccine escape.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Funding: This work was supported by grants (ZS) from the National Key Program for Infectious Disease of China (contract no. 2013ZX10004221 and 2018ZX10714002-001).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Smith, Professor Andrew
Creator Roles:
Smith, A.Data curation, Writing – review and editing
Authors: Lucidarme, J., Smith, A., Zhu, B., Xu, L., Bai, X., Gao, Y., González-López, J. J., Mulhall, R., Scott, K. J., Smith, A., Stefanelli, P., Stenmark, B., Torpiano, P., Tzanakaki, G., Borrow, R., and Shao, Z.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing > Dental School
Journal Name:PLoS ONE
Publisher:Public Library of Science
ISSN:1932-6203
ISSN (Online):1932-6203
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 Lucidarme et al.
First Published:First published in PLoS ONE 15(12):e0243426
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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