title: Fit genotypes and escape variants of subgroup III Neisseria meningitidis during three pandemics of epidemic meningitis.
abstract: The genetic variability at six polymorphic loci was examined within a global collection of 502 isolates of subgroup III, serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis. Nine "genoclouds" were identified, consisting of genotypes that were isolated repeatedly plus 48 descendent genotypes that were isolated rarely. These genoclouds have caused three pandemic waves of disease since the mid-1960s, the most recent of which was imported from East Asia to Europe and Africa in the mid-1990s. Many of the genotypes are escape variants, resulting from positive selection that we attribute to herd immunity. Despite positive selection, most escape variants are less fit than their parents and are lost because of competition and bottlenecks during spread from country to country. Competition between fit genotypes results in dramatic changes in population composition over short time periods.
authors: Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Zhu
authors: A
authors: A
authors: van der Ende
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Falush
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Brieske
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Morelli
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Linz
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Popovic
authors: I G
authors: IG
authors: Schuurman
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Adegbola
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Zurth
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Gagneux
authors: A E
authors: AE
authors: Platonov
authors: J Y
authors: JY
authors: Riou
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Caugant
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Nicolas
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Achtman
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D005799:Genes, Dominant / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic