Clinical strains of Streptococcus agalactiae carry two different variants of pathogenicity island XII.
Streptococcus agalactiae or Group B streptococci (GBS) are a common cause of serious diseases of newborns and adults. GBS pathogenicity largely depends on genes located on the accessory genome including several pathogenicity islands (PAI). The present paper is focused on the structure and molecular epidemiological analysis of one of the GBS pathogenicity islands-the pathogenicity island PAI XII (Glaser et al. Mol Microbiol 45(6):1499-1513, 2002). This PAI was found to be composed of three different mobile genetic elements: a composite transposon (PAI-C), a genomic islet (PAI-B), and a pathogenicity island associated with gene sspB1 (PAI-A). PAI-A in GBS has a homolog--PAI-A1 with similar, but a different genetic constellation. PCR-based analysis of GBS collections from different countries revealed that a strains lineage with PAI-A is less common than PAI-A1 and was determined to be present only among the strains obtained from Russia. Our results suggest that PAI-A and PAI-A1 have the same progenitor, which evolved independently and appeared in the GBS genome as separate genetic events. Results of this study reflect specific geographical distribution of the GBS strains with the mobile genetic element under study.
Institute of Experimental Medicine, Pavlova Street, 12, 197376, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Eugenia
E
Kuleshevich
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1100 N Lindsay Ave, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
Joseph
J
Ferretti
Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences (UCIBIO@REQUIMTE). Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
Ilda
I
Santos Sanches
Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences (UCIBIO@REQUIMTE). Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
Natesan
N
Balasubramanian
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
Barbara
B
Spellerberg
Health Protection Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue NW9 5EQ, London, UK.
Androulla
A
Efstratiou
WHO Center Reference and Research on Streptococci, Srobarova, 48 10042 10, Prague, Czech Republic.
Paula
P
Kriz
Institute of Experimental Medicine, Pavlova Street, 12, 197376, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Kornelia
K
Grabovskaya
D. O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 199034, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Olga
O
Arjanova
D. O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 199034, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Alevtina
A
Savitcheva
Institute of Experimental Medicine, Pavlova Street, 12, 197376, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Valentin
V
Shevchenko
Institute of Experimental Medicine, Pavlova Street, 12, 197376, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Anton
A
Rysev
Institute of Experimental Medicine, Pavlova Street, 12, 197376, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. alexander_suvorov1@hotmail.com.|Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034, Universitetskaya emb. 7/9, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. alexander_suvorov1@hotmail.com.
Alexander
A
Suvorov
D019295:Computational Biology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D023061:Gene Order; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D044404:Genomic Islands; D005838:Genotype; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification