Open AccessMolecular characterization of Neisseria meningitidis isolates recovered from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Colombia from 2013 to 2016
Author(s) -
Jaime Moreno,
Zonia Alarcón,
Eliana L. Parra-Barrera,
Carolina Duarte,
Olga Sanabria,
Diego Andrés Prada,
Jean Marc Gabastou
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0234475
Subject(s) - neisseria meningitidis , biology , pulsed field gel electrophoresis , genotype , serotype , meningococcal disease , multilocus sequence typing , microbiology and biotechnology , population , locus (genetics) , neisseriaceae , molecular epidemiology , virology , genetics , antibiotics , bacteria , gene , medicine , environmental health
Background Neisseria meningitidis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Meningococcal isolates have a highly dynamic population structure and can be phenotypically and genetically differentiated into serogroups and clonal complexes. The aim of this study was to describe the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of invasive isolates recovered in Colombia from 2013 to 2016. Methodology A total of 193 invasive isolates were analyzed. Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics were determined by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing. Results Based on the results, meningococcal serogroups C, B and Y were responsible for 47.9%, 41.7%, and 9.4% of cases, respectively, and the distribution of serogroups B and C changed over time. Fifteen clonal groups and 14 clonal complexes (cc) were identified by PFGE and genome sequencing. The main clonal group included serogroup B isolates with sequence type (ST)-9493 and its four single-locus variants, which has only been identified in Colombian isolates. The clonal population structure demonstrates that the isolates in this study mainly belong to four clonal complexes: ST-11 cc, ST-32 cc, ST-35 cc and ST-41/44 cc. Thirty-eight pen A alleles were identified, but no correlation between MICs and specific sequences was observed. Conclusion This study shows that most meningococcal isolates recovered from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Colombia are strains associated with distinct globally disseminated hyperinvasive clones.