Whole-genome comparison of disease and carriage strains provides insights into virulence evolution in Neisseria meningitidis.

ABSTRACT: Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of infectious childhood mortality worldwide. Most research efforts have hitherto focused on disease isolates belonging to only a few hypervirulent clonal lineages. However, up to 10% of the healthy human population is temporarily colonized by genetically diverse strains mostly with little or no pathogenic potential. Currently, little is known about the biology of carriage strains and their evolutionary relationship with disease isolates. The expression of a polysaccharide capsule is the only trait that has been convincingly linked to the pathogenic potential of N. meningitidis. To gain insight into the evolution of virulence traits in this species, whole-genome sequences of three meningococcal carriage isolates were obtained. Gene content compariso

SUBMITTER: Schoen C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2265139 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature