A chromosomally integrated bacteriophage in invasive meningococci.
Cerebrospinal meningitis is a feared disease that can cause the death of a previously healthy individual within hours. Paradoxically, the causative agent, Neisseria meningitidis, is a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx, and as such, may be considered a normal, commensal organism. Only in a small proportion of colonized people do the bacteria invade the bloodstream, from where they can cross the blood-brain barrier to cause meningitis. Furthermore, most meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria belonging to only a few of the phylogenetic groups among the large number that constitute the population structure of this genetically variable organism. However, the genetic basis for the differences in pathogenic potential remains elusive. By performing whole genome comparisons of a large collection of meningococcal isolates of defined pathogenic potential we brought to light a meningococcal prophage present in disease-causing bacteria. The phage, of the filamentous family, excises from the chromosome and is secreted from the bacteria via the type IV pilin secretin. Therefore, this element, by spreading among the population, may promote the development of new epidemic clones of N. meningitidis that are capable of breaking the normal commensal relationship with humans and causing invasive disease.
Bille
Emmanuelle
E
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale U570, Faculté de Médecine Necker, 75015 Paris, France.
Zahar
Jean-Ralph
JR
Perrin
Agnes
A
Morelle
Sandrine
S
Kriz
Paula
P
Jolley
Keith A
KA
Maiden
Martin C J
MC
Dervin
Catherine
C
Nassif
Xavier
X
Tinsley
Colin R
CR
D001483:Base Sequence; D019295:Computational Biology; D017931:DNA Primers; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D040461:Gene Components; D044404:Genomic Islands / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D017912:Inovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016014:Linear Models; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000821:virology*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D039002:Prophages / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D017931:DNA Primers; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins