Dataset Information

Phenotypes of a naturally defective recB allele in Neisseria meningitidis clinical isolates.

ABSTRACT: Neisseria meningitidis strains belonging to the hypervirulent lineage ET-37 and several unrelated strains are extremely UV sensitive. The phenotype is consequent to the presence of a nonfunctional recB(ET-37) allele carrying multiple missense mutations. Phenotypic analysis has been performed with congenic meningococcal strains harboring either the wild-type recB allele or the recB(ET-37) allele. Congenic recB(ET-37) meningococci, in addition to being sensitive to UV, were defective both in repair of DNA lesions induced by UV treatment and, partially, in recombination-mediated transformation. Consistently, the wild-type, but not the recB(ET-37), allele was able to complement the Escherichia coli recB21 mutation to UV resistance and proficiency in recombination. recB(ET-37) meningococci did not exhibit higher frequencies of spontaneous mutation to rifampin resistance than recB-proficient strains. However, mutation rates were enhanced following UV treatment, a phenomenon not observed in the recB-proficient counterpart. Interestingly, the results of PCR-based assays demonstrated that the presence of the recB(ET-37) allele considerably increased the frequency of recombination at the pilin loci. The main conclusion that can be drawn is that the presence of the defective recB(ET-37) allele in N. meningitidis isolates causes an increase in genetic diversity, due to an ineffective RecBCD-dependent DNA repair and recombination pathway, and an increase in pilin antigenic variation.

SUBMITTER: Salvatore P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC128164 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Phenotypes of a naturally defective recB allele in Neisseria meningitidis clinical isolates.

Salvatore Paola P Bucci Cecilia C Pagliarulo Caterina C Tredici Maurizio M Colicchio Roberta R Cantalupo Giuseppina G Bardaro Marcellino M Del Giudice Luigi L Massardo Domenica R DR Lavitola Alfredo A Bruni Carmelo B CB Alifano Pietro P

Infection and immunity 20020801 8

Neisseria meningitidis strains belonging to the hypervirulent lineage ET-37 and several unrelated strains are extremely UV sensitive. The phenotype is consequent to the presence of a nonfunctional recB(ET-37) allele carrying multiple missense mutations. Phenotypic analysis has been performed with congenic meningococcal strains harboring either the wild-type recB allele or the recB(ET-37) allele. Congenic recB(ET-37) meningococci, in addition to being sensitive to UV, were defective both in repai ...[more]

PMID: 12117927

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Project description:Neisseria meningitidis causes a life-threatening invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). Isolates resistant to antibiotics, such as penicillin, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin that are recommended for the treatment of IMD patients and their close contacts have been serious public health concerns globally. However, susceptibility profiles to critically important antibiotics and the genetic characteristics of isolates possessing antibiotic resistance are extremely limited as IMD incidence is low in Japan. We assessed the susceptibility profiles of 87 randomly selected, sterile site-derived N. meningitidis strains isolated from hospitals nationwide, recovered between April 1998 and March 2018 in Japan, to seven antibiotics. As a result, we demonstrated, for the first time, that the isolates remained highly susceptible to ceftriaxone, meropenem, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and rifampin, but not to penicillin. We then characterized the genetic relatedness of six penicillin- and/or ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates obtained in this study with global 112 genomes using core-genome phylogenetic analysis. These results provide the first evidence that invasive lineages such as a penicillin-resistant serogroup W, sequence type (ST)-11 clonal complex (CC), and a ciprofloxacin-resistant serogroup B/C, ST-4821 CC that is considered as a global threat, have been sporadically identified in Japan. Our findings highlight the need to monitor antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates of N. meningitidis, thereby preventing the spread of antibiotic-resistant invasive lineages and maintaining effective treatment for IMD patients and their close contacts. IMPORTANCE Although antibiotics such as penicillin and ceftriaxone can treat invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant Neisseria meningitidis have become a global concern. To provide effective treatment, including chemoprophylaxis to IMD patients and their close contacts, we highlighted the importance of recognizing the antibiotic resistance and genetic features of N. meningitidis isolates.

Dataset Information

Phenotypes of a naturally defective recB allele in Neisseria meningitidis clinical isolates.

Publications

Phenotypes of a naturally defective recB allele in Neisseria meningitidis clinical isolates.

Similar Datasets

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