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Børud B, Koomey M. Sweet complexity: O-linked protein glycosylation in pathogenic Neisseria. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1407863. [PMID: 38808060 PMCID: PMC11130364 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1407863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The genus Neisseria, which colonizes mucosal surfaces, includes both commensal and pathogenic species that are exclusive to humans. The two pathogenic Neisseria species are closely related but cause quite different diseases, meningococcal sepsis and meningitis (Neisseria meningitidis) and sexually transmitted gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae). Although obvious differences in bacterial niches and mechanisms for transmission exists, pathogenic Neisseria have high levels of conservation at the levels of nucleotide sequences, gene content and synteny. Species of Neisseria express broad-spectrum O-linked protein glycosylation where the glycoproteins are largely transmembrane proteins or lipoproteins localized on the cell surface or in the periplasm. There are diverse functions among the identified glycoproteins, for example type IV biogenesis proteins, proteins involved in antimicrobial resistance, as well as surface proteins that have been suggested as vaccine candidates. The most abundant glycoprotein, PilE, is the major subunit of pili which are an important colonization factor. The glycans attached can vary extensively due to phase variation of protein glycosylation (pgl) genes and polymorphic pgl gene content. The exact roles of glycosylation in Neisseria remains to be determined, but increasing evidence suggests that glycan variability can be a strategy to evade the human immune system. In addition, pathogenic and commensal Neisseria appear to have significant glycosylation differences. Here, the current knowledge and implications of protein glycosylation genes, glycan diversity, glycoproteins and immunogenicity in pathogenic Neisseria are summarized and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bente Børud
- Department of Bacteriology, Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael Koomey
- Department of Biosciences, Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Mohammed H, Peut C, McMillan M, Wang B, Sullivan TR, Marshall HS. THE ROLE OF SCHOOLS IN MENINGOCOCCAL CARRIAGE AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2024:00006454-990000000-00833. [PMID: 38621163 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000004362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis carriage peaks in adolescents. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (NCT03089086) assessing 4CMenB herd protection in South Australia ("B-Part-of-It" study) explored school attributes linked to baseline carriage in 34,489 adolescents prevaccination. Carriage was higher in students attending single-sex [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14-1.93], boarding (aOR: 1.92; 1.13-3.27) and government schools (aOR: 1.32, 1.09-1.61).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassen Mohammed
- From the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide
| | | | - Mark McMillan
- From the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide
| | - Bing Wang
- From the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide
| | - Thomas R Sullivan
- SAHMRI Women and Kids Theme, South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Helen S Marshall
- From the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide
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Mikucki A, Kahler CM. Microevolution and Its Impact on Hypervirulence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Vaccine Escape in Neisseria meningitidis. Microorganisms 2023; 11:3005. [PMID: 38138149 PMCID: PMC10745880 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11123005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis is commensal of the human pharynx and occasionally invades the host, causing the life-threatening illness invasive meningococcal disease. The meningococcus is a highly diverse and adaptable organism thanks to natural competence, a propensity for recombination, and a highly repetitive genome. These mechanisms together result in a high level of antigenic variation to invade diverse human hosts and evade their innate and adaptive immune responses. This review explores the ways in which this diversity contributes to the evolutionary history and population structure of the meningococcus, with a particular focus on microevolution. It examines studies on meningococcal microevolution in the context of within-host evolution and persistent carriage; microevolution in the context of meningococcal outbreaks and epidemics; and the potential of microevolution to contribute to antimicrobial resistance and vaccine escape. A persistent theme is the idea that the process of microevolution contributes to the development of new hyperinvasive meningococcal variants. As such, microevolution in this species has significant potential to drive future public health threats in the form of hypervirulent, antibiotic-resistant, vaccine-escape variants. The implications of this on current vaccination strategies are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- August Mikucki
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia;
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Charlene M. Kahler
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia;
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
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Prevalence and persistence of Neisseria meningitidis carriage in Swedish university students. Epidemiol Infect 2023; 151:e25. [PMID: 36775828 PMCID: PMC9990396 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268823000018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis causes life-threatening disease worldwide, typically with a clinical presentation of sepsis or meningitis, but can be carried asymptomatically as part of the normal human oropharyngeal microbiota. The aim of this study was to examine N. meningitidis carriage with regard to prevalence, risk factors for carriage, distribution of meningococcal lineages and persistence of meningococcal carriage. Throat samples and data from a self-reported questionnaire were obtained from 2744 university students (median age: 23 years) at a university in Sweden on four occasions during a 12-month period. Meningococcal isolates were characterised using whole-genome sequencing. The carriage rate among the students was 9.1% (319/3488; 95% CI 8.2-10.1). Factors associated with higher carriage rate were age ≤22 years, previous tonsillectomy, cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol and attending parties, pubs and clubs. Female gender and sharing a household with children aged 0-9 years were associated with lower carriage. The most frequent genogroups were capsule null locus (cnl), group B and group Y and the most commonly identified clonal complexes (cc) were cc198 and cc23. Persistent carriage with the same meningococcal strain for 12 months was observed in two students. Follow-up times exceeding 12 months are recommended for future studies investigating long-term carriage of N. meningitidis.
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de Korne-Elenbaas J, Bruisten SM, de Vries HJC, van Dam AP. Within-Host Genetic Variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae over the Course of Infection. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0031322. [PMID: 35467402 PMCID: PMC9241688 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00313-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of within-host genetic variation informs studies on transmission dynamics. We studied within-host genetic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae over the course of infection and across different anatomical locations. Isolates were obtained during a clinical trial, and isolates from consecutive time points reflected persistent infections after treatment failure. We compared sequence types (STs) and recombination unfiltered- and filtered core genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distances in 65 within-host isolate pairs from the same anatomical location over time-obtained with a median interval of 7 days-and 65 isolate pairs across different anatomical locations at one time point. Isolates with different Multi-Locus Sequence Types (MLST), NG-Sequence Types for Antimicrobial Resistance (NG-STAR) and NG-Multi Antigen Sequence Types (NG-MAST) had a median of 1466 recombination filtered SNPs, whereas a median of 1 SNP was found between isolates with identical STs or a different NG-MAST only. The threshold for differentiating between strains was set at 10 recombination filtered SNPs, showing that isolates from persistent infections could have different NG-MASTs. Antibiotic pressure applied through treatment did not lead to an increase in genetic variation in specific genes or in overall extent of variation, compared to variation across anatomical locations. Instead, within-host genetic variation was proposedly driven by the host immune response, as it was concentrated in genomic regions encoding surface exposed proteins involved in host-microbe interaction. Ultimately, 15/228 (6.5%) between-host pairs contained a single strain, suggesting between-host transmission. However, patient reported data are needed to differentiate within-host persistence from between-host transmission. IMPORTANCE Understanding transmission dynamics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) is based on the identification of transmission events. These can be identified by assessing genetic relatedness between Ng isolates, expressed as core genome SNP distances. However, a SNP threshold to differentiate between strains needs to be defined, using knowledge on within- and between-host genetic variation. Here, we assessed within-host genetic variation, using a unique set of within-host Ng isolates from the same anatomical location over time or across different anatomical locations at one time point. The insights in genetic variation that occurred during the infection period contribute to the understanding of infection dynamics. In addition, the obtained knowledge can be used for future research on transmission dynamics and development of public health interventions based on bacterial genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolinda de Korne-Elenbaas
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity (AII), location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvia M. Bruisten
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity (AII), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Henry J. C. de Vries
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity (AII), location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Center for Sexual Health, Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Alje P. van Dam
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity (AII), location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Exploring the Ability of Meningococcal Vaccines to Elicit Mucosal Immunity: Insights from Humans and Mice. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10070906. [PMID: 34358056 PMCID: PMC8308890 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis causes a devastating invasive disease but is also a normal colonizer of the human nasopharynx. Due to the rapid progression of disease, the best tool to protect individuals against meningococcal infections is immunization. Clinical experience with polysaccharide conjugate vaccines has revealed that an ideal meningococcal vaccine must prevent both invasive disease and nasal colonization, which confers herd immunity. However, not all meningococcal vaccines are equal in their ability to prevent nasal colonization, for unknown reasons. Herein, we describe recent efforts to utilize humanized mouse models to understand the impact of different meningococcal vaccines on nasal colonization. These mice are susceptible to nasal colonization, and they become immune following live nasal infection or immunization with matched capsule-conjugate or protein-based vaccines, replicating findings from human work. We bring together insights regarding meningococcal colonization and immunity from clinical work with findings using humanized mouse models, providing new perspective into the different determinants of mucosal versus systemic immunity. Then, we use this as a framework to help focus future studies toward understanding key mechanistic aspects left unresolved, including the bacterial factors required for colonization and immune evasion, determinants of nasal mucosal protection, and characteristics of an ideal meningococcal vaccine.
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Retchless AC, Chen A, Chang HY, Blain AE, McNamara LA, Mustapha MM, Harrison LH, Wang X. Using Neisseria meningitidis genomic diversity to inform outbreak strain identification. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009586. [PMID: 34003852 PMCID: PMC8177650 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening illness caused by the human-restricted bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. Outbreaks in the USA involve at least two cases in an organization or community caused by the same serogroup within three months. Genome comparisons, including phylogenetic analysis and quantification of genome distances can provide confirmatory evidence of pathogen transmission during an outbreak. Interpreting genome distances depends on understanding their distribution both among isolates from outbreaks and among those not from outbreaks. Here, we identify outbreak strains based on phylogenetic relationships among 141 N. meningitidis isolates collected from 28 outbreaks in the USA during 2010-2017 and 1516 non-outbreak isolates collected through contemporaneous meningococcal surveillance. We show that genome distance thresholds based on the maximum SNPs and allele distances among isolates in the phylogenetically defined outbreak strains are sufficient to separate most pairs of non-outbreak isolates into separate strains. Non-outbreak isolate pairs that could not be distinguished from each other based on genetic distances were concentrated in the clonal complexes CC11, CC103, and CC32. Within each of these clonal complexes, phylodynamic analysis identified a group of isolates with extremely low diversity, collected over several years and multiple states. Clusters of isolates with low genetic diversity could indicate increased pathogen transmission, potentially resulting in local outbreaks or nationwide clonal expansions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C. Retchless
- Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alex Chen
- Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - How-Yi Chang
- Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Amy E. Blain
- Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Lucy A. McNamara
- Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Mustapha M. Mustapha
- Microbial Genomic Epidemiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Lee H. Harrison
- Microbial Genomic Epidemiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Xin Wang
- Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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