Open AccessGenetic Isolation of Meningococci of the Electrophoretic Type 37 Complex
Author(s) -
Heike Claus,
Johanna Stoevesandt,
Matthias Frosch,
Ulrich Vogel
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.652
H-Index - 246
eISSN - 1067-8832
pISSN - 0021-9193
DOI - 10.1128/jb.183.8.2570-2575.2001
Subject(s) - biology , genetics , prophage , horizontal gene transfer , neisseria meningitidis , plasmid , genomic dna , lineage (genetic) , dna , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , genome , bacteriophage , bacteria , escherichia coli
Neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus) is a naturally competent bacterial species in which intra- and interspecific horizontal gene transfer is a major source of genetic diversity. In strains of the electrophoretic type 37 (ET-37) complex and of the A4 cluster, we identified genomic DNA coding for a novel restriction-modification system and for the tail of a previously unidentified prophage. Furthermore, a novel 7.2-kb DNA segment restricted to clones of the ET-37 complex and the A4 cluster was isolated and shown to occur both as a plasmid (pJS-B) and as a chromosomal integration. Neither the genomic loci nor pJS-B was present in ET-5 complex, lineage 3, or serogroup A meningococci. The differential distribution of the DNA segments described herein, as well as of opcA, porB, nmeAI, nmeBI, and nmeDI described previously, supports the concept of genetic isolation of hypervirulent lineages responsible for most cases of serogroup C disease worldwide.