Clinical streptococcal isolates, distinct from Streptococcus pneumoniae, but containing the β-glucosyltransferase tts gene and expressing serotype 37 capsular polysaccharide.

ABSTRACT: The major virulence factor of the pneumococcus, and target for conjugate vaccines, is the polysaccharide capsule, which is usually encoded by the highly variable cps locus. Serotype 37 is an unusual pneumococcal type in which the single β-glucosyltransferase gene responsible for serotype capsule production (tts) is located outside of the capsular operon region. Using a previously described automated whole genome sequence (WGS)-based serotyping bioinformatics tool, PneumoCaT, we identified and investigated seven clinical isolates (three from blood cultures) of non-pneumococcal streptococci containing a highly homologous tts and included them in a study panel of 20 isolates which included a 11 further clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae serotype 37, a reference str

SUBMITTER: Sheppard CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5518733 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature