Epidemiology and molecular characterization of Neisseria lactamica carried in 11-19 years old students in Salvador, Brazil

Int J Med Microbiol. 2018 Jun;308(4):454-458. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2018.03.007. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Abstract

Neisseria lactamica is a nonpathogenic commensal bacterium that is potentially associated with the development of natural immunity against N. meningitidis. However, the genetic variation present in natural populations of N. lactamica has not been fully investigated. To better understand its epidemiology and genetic variation, we studied N. lactamica carriage in 1200 students aged 11-19 years old in Salvador, Brazil. The carriage prevalence was 4.5% (54/1200), with no statistical difference among sex and age, although we observed a trend towards higher carriage prevalence among 11-year-old individuals. Whole genome sequence analysis revealed a high genetic diversity among the isolates, with the presence of 32 different STs, 28 (87.5%) of which were new. A total of 21/50 (42%) isolates belonged to three different clonal complexes. While none of the isolates contained nadA or fHpb alleles, we detected 21 FetA variants, 20 NhbA variants and two variants of PorB. The data provide detailed information on circulating N. lactamica isolates in adolescents in Brazil and are complementary to studies in other countries.

Keywords: Meningococcal disease; Neisseria lactamica; Neisseria meningitidis; Oropharyngeal carriage; Vaccines; Whole genome sequencing.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Alleles
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Carrier State / epidemiology*
  • Carrier State / microbiology*
  • El Salvador / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Meningococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • Meningococcal Infections / microbiology*
  • Molecular Epidemiology
  • Neisseria lactamica / genetics*
  • Neisseria lactamica / isolation & purification
  • Neisseria meningitidis / genetics
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Porins / genetics
  • Students
  • Whole Genome Sequencing
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Porins
  • porin protein, Neisseria