Dataset Information

A new pneumococcal serotype, 11E, has a variably inactivated wcjE gene.

ABSTRACT: Recently, 2 serologically and biochemically distinct subtypes-11Aalpha and 11Abeta-were discovered among serotype 11A isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Sequence comparison of the capsular polysaccharide synthesis (cps) loci of the 2 subtypes identified disruption of the wcjE gene, a putative O-acetyltransferase, as the genetic hallmark of the 11Abeta phenotype. Directed disruption of wcjE in vitro in an 11Aalpha strain switched the strain to the 11Abeta phenotype, confirming the role played by the gene in the divergence between the subtypes. Furthermore, sequences from 7 11Abeta clinical strains each contained unrelated disruptive mutations in the wcjE gene, displaying an unprecedented degree of genetic heterogeneity in a pneumococcal serotype. We propose to name the 11Aalpha subtype as serotype 11A and the 11Abeta subtype as 11E, a new serotype. Our findings also suggest that the diversity of pneumococcal capsules is much greater than was previously recognized.

SUBMITTER: Calix JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2880655 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A new pneumococcal serotype, 11E, has a variably inactivated wcjE gene.

Calix Juan J JJ Nahm Moon H MH

The Journal of infectious diseases 20100701 1

Recently, 2 serologically and biochemically distinct subtypes-11Aalpha and 11Abeta-were discovered among serotype 11A isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Sequence comparison of the capsular polysaccharide synthesis (cps) loci of the 2 subtypes identified disruption of the wcjE gene, a putative O-acetyltransferase, as the genetic hallmark of the 11Abeta phenotype. Directed disruption of wcjE in vitro in an 11Aalpha strain switched the strain to the 11Abeta phenotype, confirming the role played ...[more]

PMID: 20507232

Similar Datasets

Project description:Pneumococcal conjugate vaccination has proved highly effective in eliminating vaccine-type pneumococcal carriage and disease. However, the potential adverse effects of serotype replacement remain a major concern when implementing routine childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccination programmes. Applying a concise predictive model, we present a ready-to-use quantitative tool to investigate the implications of serotype replacement on the net effectiveness of vaccination against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and to guide in the selection of optimal vaccine serotype compositions. We utilise pre-vaccination data on pneumococcal carriage and IPD and assume partial or complete elimination of vaccine-type carriage, its replacement by non-vaccine-type carriage, and stable case-to-carrier ratios (probability of IPD per carriage episode). The model predicts that the post-vaccination IPD incidences in Finland for currently available vaccine serotype compositions can eventually decrease among the target age group of children <5 years of age by 75%. However, due to replacement through herd effects, the decrease among the older population is predicted to be much less (20-40%). We introduce a sequential algorithm for the search of optimal serotype compositions and assess the robustness of inferences to uncertainties in data and assumptions about carriage and IPD. The optimal serotype composition depends on the age group of interest and some serotypes may be highly beneficial vaccine types in one age category (e.g. 6B in children), while being disadvantageous in another. The net effectiveness will be improved only if the added serotype has a higher case-to-carrier ratio than the average case-to-carrier ratio of the current non-vaccine types and the degree of improvement in effectiveness depends on the carriage incidence of the serotype. The serotype compositions of currently available pneumococcal vaccines are not optimal and the effectiveness of vaccination in the population at large could be improved by including new serotypes in the vaccine (e.g. 22 and 9N).

Dataset Information

A new pneumococcal serotype, 11E, has a variably inactivated wcjE gene.

Publications

A new pneumococcal serotype, 11E, has a variably inactivated wcjE gene.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets