High diversity of Escherichia coli causing invasive disease in neonates in Malawi poses challenges for O-antigen based vaccine approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Escherichia coli is an important cause of neonatal sepsis and the third most prevalent cause of neonatal infection in sub-Saharan Africa, often with negative outcomes. Development of maternally administered vaccines is under consideration, but to provide adequate protection, an understanding of serotypes causing invasive disease in this population is essential. We describe the genomic characteristics of a collection of neonatal E. coli isolates from a tertiary hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, with specific reference to potential protection by vaccines under development.

Methods

Neonatal blood or cerebrospinal fluid cultures from 2012 to 2021 identified 208 E. coli isolates, and 169 could be recovered for sequencing.

Results

Our data shows very high diversity i

SUBMITTER: Pearse O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12274568 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature