title: Distribution of factor H binding protein beyond serogroup B: variation among five serogroups of invasive Neisseria meningitidis in South Africa.
abstract: Factor H binding protein (fHBP) is currently under investigation as a potential vaccine antigen for protection against meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) disease. This study describes the distribution of genotypes among all (n=58) MenB, and a total of 80 representative non-MenB (serogroups A, C, Y and W135) isolates causing invasive disease in South Africa in 2005 using fHBP sequence analysis, PorA, FetA and multilocus sequence typing. There was less fHBP diversity among non-MenB isolates compared to MenB isolates. fHBP subfamily variant A32 was the most common fHBP variant among MenB isolates and was represented by 17% (10/58) of the isolates, while fHBP variant B16 was the most prevalent variant among non-MenB strains and was represented by 40% (32/80) of isolates. Overall, subfamily B domain N6 (modular group I) was most prevalent (57%, 79/138). Twenty PorA and 16 FetA types were identified among MenB isolates whereas non-MenB serogroups were largely associated with specific serosubtypes. The most common MenB clonal complex (ST-41/44/lineage 3) was represented by 29% (17/58) of the MenB isolates, while each of the non-MenB serogroups had a major clone represented by at least 75% of the isolates within the serorogroup. Our data highlight that non-MenB meningococcal isolates also harbor fHBP.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Division of National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. kedibonem@nicd.ac.za
authors.forename: Kedibone M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Mothibeli
authors.forename: Mignon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: du Plessis
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Gottberg
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Susan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hoiseth
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zlotnick
authors.forename: Keith P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Klugman
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D038541:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010641:Phenotype; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C484699:factor H-binding protein, Neisseria meningitidis