title: Role of conjugative elements in the evolution of the multidrug-resistant pandemic clone Streptococcus pneumoniaeSpain23F ST81.
abstract: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human commensal and pathogen able to cause a variety of diseases that annually result in over a million deaths worldwide. The S. pneumoniae(Spain23F) sequence type 81 lineage was among the first recognized pandemic clones and was responsible for almost 40% of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal infections in the United States in the late 1990s. Analysis of the chromosome sequence of a representative strain, and comparison with other available genomes, indicates roles for integrative and conjugative elements in the evolution of pneumococci and, more particularly, the emergence of the multidrug-resistant Spain 23F ST81 lineage. A number of recently acquired loci within the chromosome appear to encode proteins involved in the production of, or immunity to, antimicrobial compounds, which may contribute to the proficiency of this strain at nasopharyngeal colonization. However, further sequencing of other pandemic clones will be required to establish whether there are any general attributes shared by these strains that are responsible for their international success.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. nc3@sanger.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Croucher
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lennard
authors.forename: Gavin K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.forename: Nathalie C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Bason
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Quail
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parkhill
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: Tim J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004602:Elements; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D044404:Genomic Islands; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D039002:Prophages; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016662:Virus Integration
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004602:Elements