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Comparative Genomic Analysis of Meningitis- and Bacteremia-Causing Pneumococci Identifies a Common Core Genome

Benard W Kulohoma1, Jennifer E Cornick2, Chrispin Chaguza2

  • 1Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom bkulohoma@iscb.org r.heyderman@ucl.ac.uk.

Infection and Immunity
|August 12, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Meningitis-causing Streptococcus pneumoniae are not genetically distinct from bloodstream infection strains. Whole-genome sequencing reveals no significant differences in core or accessory genes between these disease manifestations.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common bacterium found in the nasopharynx.
  • It can cause severe invasive diseases like meningitis and bloodstream infections.
  • Genetic differences between pneumococci causing meningitis versus bloodstream infections are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if Streptococcus pneumoniae strains causing meningitis are genetically distinct from those causing bloodstream infections.
  • To compare the whole-genome content of isolates from these two distinct disease manifestations.

Main Methods:

  • Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 140 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates.
  • 70 isolates were from bloodstream infections and 70 were from meningitis cases.
  • A double-exponential decaying-function model was used to analyze core and accessory genome content.

Main Results:

  • A core genome of 1,427 genes was identified across all isolates.
  • No significant differences were found in core or accessory gene content between meningitis and bloodstream infection isolates.
  • The presence or absence of genes does not solely explain pneumococcal virulence in meningitis.

Conclusions:

  • Gene content alone does not differentiate pneumococci causing meningitis from those causing bloodstream infections.
  • Both disease types require previously identified virulence factors and vaccine targets.
  • Pneumococci maintain essential genes for colonization and transmission despite genetic exchange capabilities, crucial for invasive disease.

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