Microevolution and Its Impact on Hypervirulence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Vaccine Escape in Neisseria...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Neisseria meningitidis is a common human throat bacterium that can cause severe invasive meningococcal disease.
• Its adaptability stems from natural competence, recombination, and a repetitive genome, enabling antigenic variation.
• This variation helps meningococci evade immune responses and infect diverse hosts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how Neisseria meningitidis diversity influences its evolution and population structure, focusing on microevolution.
• To examine microevolution in within-host dynamics, persistent carriage, outbreaks, and epidemics.
• To assess microevolution's role in developing antimicrobial resistance and vaccine escape.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on Neisseria meningitidis microevolution.
• Analysis of research on within-host evolution and persistent carriage.
• Examination of studies related to outbreaks, epidemics, and antimicrobial resistance/vaccine escape.

Main Results:

• Microevolution is a key driver of Neisseria meningitidis diversity and adaptation.
• Within-host evolution and recombination contribute to population structure and virulence.
• Microevolutionary processes are linked to the emergence of hyperinvasive strains.

Conclusions:

• Microevolution of Neisseria meningitidis generates hypervirulent, antibiotic-resistant, and vaccine-escape variants.
• These variants represent significant future public health threats.
• Understanding microevolution is crucial for developing effective vaccination strategies.