Open AccessGenetic Analysis of Diverse Disease-Causing Pneumococci Indicates High Levels of Diversity within Serotypes and Capsule Switching
Author(s) -
Johanna M.C. Jefferies,
Andrew Smith,
Stuart C. Clarke,
Christopher G. Dowson,
Tim Mitchell
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of clinical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.349
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1070-633X
pISSN - 0095-1137
DOI - 10.1128/jcm.42.12.5681-5688.2004
Subject(s) - multilocus sequence typing , serotype , biology , genotype , phylogenetic tree , typing , genetic diversity , disease , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , streptococcus pneumoniae , genetics , gene , bacteria , population , medicine , pathology , environmental health
We have used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and serotyping to build a phylogenetic framework for pneumococcal disease isolates in Scotland that provides a snapshot of the relationships between capsular type and genotype. The results show that while the MLST type correlates with the serotype, isolates within a serotype can belong to a number of individual clonal complexes or sequence types (STs). We also show that isolates of the same ST can express different capsular polysaccharides, i.e., display capsular switching, and that this phenomenon is observed both for capsular types commonly isolated from patients with invasive disease and for serogroups less commonly isolated from patients with invasive disease but which may commonly be carried asymptomatically in the human nasopharynx.