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Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
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Characterization of serogroup C meningococci isolated from 14 provinces of China during 1966-2005 using comparative

JunPing Peng1, XiaoBing Zhang, E Yang

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Genetic Engineering, Beijing, 100052, China.

Science in China. Series C, Life Sciences
|March 30, 2007
PubMed

Insights

A hyper-virulent clone of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C caused outbreaks in China. Whole-genome analysis revealed conserved genomic features among these disease-causing meningococci.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis is a significant global cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia.
  • Serogroup A strains historically dominated Neisseria meningitidis cases in China, with serogroup C strains being rare.
  • A notable increase in serogroup C cases occurred in China between 2003-2005, particularly in Anhui Province.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic basis of the serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis outbreaks in China.
  • To analyze the genomic composition and genetic background of serogroup C meningococci prevalent in China.
  • To provide a genomic resource for understanding the evolution and epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis in the region.

Main Methods:

  • Whole-genome sequencing of a representative Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C isolate (053442).
  • Fabrication of a whole-genome microarray for Neisseria meningitidis isolate 053442.
  • Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis of 81 serogroup C isolates from various Chinese provinces (1966-2005).
  • Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to identify the causative clone.

Main Results:

  • Multilocus sequence typing identified a unique sequence type 4821 clone, a hyper-virulent lineage, responsible for the serogroup C outbreaks.
  • Comparative genomic hybridization demonstrated significant genomic similarity among nearly all analyzed serogroup C isolates and the reference isolate 053442.
  • Many absent open reading frames (ORFs) in the reference genome encode conserved hypothetical proteins.

Conclusions:

  • The serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis outbreaks in China were driven by a specific hyper-virulent lineage (ST-4821).
  • The genomic composition of the circulating serogroup C strains is largely conserved and similar to the sequenced isolate 053442.
  • The genomic data provides a valuable foundation for further research into the genetic makeup and evolutionary dynamics of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C in China.

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