Dataset Information

High Prevalence of Co-Infections by Invasive and Non-Invasive Chlamydia trachomatis Genotypes during the Lymphogranuloma Venereum Outbreak in Spain.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of Chlamydia trachomatis is mainly driven by recombination events. This fact can be fuelled by the coincidence in several European regions of the high prevalence of non-invasive urogenital genotypes and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) outbreaks. This scenario could modify the local epidemiology and favor the selection of new C. trachomatis variants. Quantifying the prevalence of co-infection could help to predict the potential risk in the selection of new variants with unpredictable results in pathogenesis or transmissibility. In the 2009-2013 period, 287 clinical samples with demonstrated presence of C. trachomatis were selected. They were divided in two groups. The first group was constituted by 137 samples with C. trachomatis of the LGV genotypes, and the second by the remaining 150 samples in which the presence of LGV genotypes was previously excluded. They were analyzed to detect the simultaneous presence of non-LGV genotypes based on pmpH and ompA genes. In the first group, co-infections were detected in 10.9% of the cases whereas in the second group the prevalence was 14.6%, which is the highest percentage ever described among European countries. Moreover, bioinformatic analyses suggested the presence among men who have sex with men of a pmpH-recombinant variant, similar to strains described in Seattle in 2002. This variant was the result of genetic exchange between genotypes belonging to LGV and members of G-genotype. Sequencing of other genes, phylogenetically related to pathotype, confirmed that the putative recombinant found in Madrid could have a common origin with the strains described in Seattle. Countries with a high prevalence of co-infections and high migration flows should enhance surveillance programs in at least their vulnerable population.

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Dominguez M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4428631 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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High Prevalence of Co-Infections by Invasive and Non-Invasive Chlamydia trachomatis Genotypes during the Lymphogranuloma Venereum Outbreak in Spain.

Rodriguez-Dominguez Mario M Gonzalez-Alba Jose Maria JM Puerta Teresa T Menendez Blanca B Sanchez-Diaz Ana Maria AM Canton Rafael R del Romero Jorge J Galan Juan Carlos JC

PloS one 20150512 5

The evolution of Chlamydia trachomatis is mainly driven by recombination events. This fact can be fuelled by the coincidence in several European regions of the high prevalence of non-invasive urogenital genotypes and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) outbreaks. This scenario could modify the local epidemiology and favor the selection of new C. trachomatis variants. Quantifying the prevalence of co-infection could help to predict the potential risk in the selection of new variants with unpredictable ...[more]

PMID: 25965545

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Project description:UNLABELLED:Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes a diversity of severe and debilitating diseases worldwide. Sporadic and ongoing outbreaks of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) strains among men who have sex with men (MSM) support the need for research on virulence factors associated with these organisms. Previous analyses have been limited to single genes or genomes of laboratory-adapted reference strain L(2)/434 and outbreak strain L(2)b/UCH-1/proctitis. We characterized an unusual LGV strain, termed L(2)c, isolated from an MSM with severe hemorrhagic proctitis. L(2)c developed nonfusing, grape-like inclusions and a cytotoxic phenotype in culture, unlike the LGV strains described to date. Deep genome sequencing revealed that L(2)c was a recombinant of L(2) and D strains with conserved clustered regions of genetic exchange, including a 78-kb region and a partial, yet functional, toxin gene that was lost with prolonged culture. Indels (insertions/deletions) were discovered in an ftsK gene promoter and in the tarp and hctB genes, which encode key proteins involved in replication, inclusion formation, and histone H1-like protein activity, respectively. Analyses suggest that these indels affect gene and/or protein function, supporting the in vitro and disease phenotypes. While recombination has been known to occur for C. trachomatis based on gene sequence analyses, we provide the first whole-genome evidence for recombination between a virulent, invasive LGV strain and a noninvasive common urogenital strain. Given the lack of a genetic system for producing stable C. trachomatis mutants, identifying naturally occurring recombinants can clarify gene function and provide opportunities for discovering avenues for genomic manipulation. IMPORTANCE:Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a prevalent and debilitating sexually transmitted disease in developing countries, although there are significant ongoing outbreaks in Australia, Europe, and the United States among men who have sex with men (MSM). Relatively little is known about LGV virulence factors, and only two LGV genomes have been sequenced to date. We isolated an LGV strain from an MSM with severe hemorrhagic proctitis that was morphologically unique in tissue culture compared with other LGV strains. Bioinformatic and statistical analyses identified the strain as a recombinant of L(2) and D strains with highly conserved clustered regions of genetic exchange. The unique culture morphology and, more importantly, disease phenotype could be traced to the genes involved in recombination. The findings have implications for bacterial species evolution and, in the case of ongoing LGV outbreaks, suggest that recombination is a mechanism for strain emergence that results in significant disease pathology.

Dataset Information

High Prevalence of Co-Infections by Invasive and Non-Invasive Chlamydia trachomatis Genotypes during the Lymphogranuloma Venereum Outbreak in Spain.

Publications

High Prevalence of Co-Infections by Invasive and Non-Invasive Chlamydia trachomatis Genotypes during the Lymphogranuloma Venereum Outbreak in Spain.

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