Correlates of Nonrandom Patterns of Serotype Switching in Pneumococcus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pneumococcus is a diverse pathogen, with >90 serotypes, each of which has a distinct polysaccharide capsule. Pneumococci can switch capsules, evading vaccine pressure. Certain serotype pairs are more likely to occur on the same genetic background as a results of serotype switching, but the drivers of these patterns are not well understood.

Methods

We used the PubMLST and Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Project databases to quantify the number of genetic lineages on which different serotype pairs occur together. We also quantified the genetic diversity of each serotype. Regression model were used to evaluate the relationship between shared polysaccharide components and the frequency of serotype co-occurrence and diversity.

Results

A number of serotype pairs o

SUBMITTER: Joshi SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7184915 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature