Pneumococcal Capsular Switching: A Historical Perspective

Background. Changes in serotype prevalence among pneumococcal populations result from both serotype replacement and serotype (capsular) switching. Temporal changes in serotype distributions are well documented, but the contribution of capsular switching to such changes is unknown. Furthermore, it is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2013-02, Vol.207 (3), p.439-449
Main Authors: Wyres, Kelly L., Lambertsen, Lotte M., Croucher, Nicholas J., McGee, Lesley, von Gottberg, Anne, Liñares, Josefina, Jacobs, Michael R., Kristinsson, Karl G., Beall, Bernard W., Klugman, Keith P., Parkhill, Julian, Hakenbeck, Regine, Bentley, Stephen D., Brueggemann, Angela B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
BACTERIA
Bacterial Capsules - genetics
Bacterial Capsules - immunology
Bacteriology
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Capsules
Conjugate vaccines
Evolution
Evolution, Molecular
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes, Bacterial
Genetic Loci
Genetics
Genomes
Humans
Imports
Infectious diseases
Major and Brief Reports
Medical sciences
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Molecular Sequence Data
Multilocus Sequence Typing
Nucleotides
Sequence Alignment
Serotyping
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Streptococcus pneumoniae - classification
Streptococcus pneumoniae - genetics
Streptococcus pneumoniae - immunology
Vaccination
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Summary:Background. Changes in serotype prevalence among pneumococcal populations result from both serotype replacement and serotype (capsular) switching. Temporal changes in serotype distributions are well documented, but the contribution of capsular switching to such changes is unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent vaccine-induced selective pressures drive capsular switching. Methods. Serotype and multilocus sequence typing data for 426 pneumococci dated from 1937 through 2007 were analyzed. Whole-genome sequence data for a subset of isolates were used to investigate capsular switching events. Results. We identified 36 independent capsular switch events, 18 of which were explored in detail with wholegenome sequence data. Recombination fragment lengths were estimated for 11 events and ranged from approximately 19.0 kb to > 58.2 kb. Two events took place no later than 1960, and the imported DNA included the capsular locus and the nearby penicillin-binding protein genes pbp2x and pbpla. Conclusions. Capsular switching has been a regular occurrence among pneumococcal populations throughout the past 7 decades. Recombination of large DNA fragments (> 30 kb), sometimes including the capsular locus and penicillin-binding protein genes, predated both vaccine introduction and widespread antibiotic use. This type of recombination has likely been an intrinsic feature throughout the history of pneumococcal evolution.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/jis703