Pneumococcal serotype determines growth and capsule size in human cerebrospinal fluid.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The polysaccharide capsule is a major virulence factor of S. pneumoniae in diseases such as meningitis. While some capsular serotypes are more often found in invasive disease, high case fatality rates are associated with those serotypes more commonly found in asymptomatic colonization. We tested whether growth patterns and capsule size in human cerebrospinal fluid depends on serotype using a clinical isolate of S. pneumoniae and its capsule switch mutants.

Results

We found that the growth pattern differed markedly from that in culture medium by lacking the exponential and lysis phases. Growth in human cerebrospinal fluid was reduced when strains lost their capsules. When a capsule was present, growth was serotype-specific: high carriage serotypes (6B, 9 V, 19F and

SUBMITTER: Muller A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6971925 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature