Longitudinal genomic analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmission dynamics in Australia

Mona L. Taouk, George Taiaroa, Sebastian Duchene, Soo Jen Low, Charlie K. Higgs, Darren Y. J. Lee, Shivani Pasricha, Nasra Higgins, Danielle J. Ingle, Benjamin P. Howden, Marcus Y. Chen, Christopher K. Fairley, Eric P. F. Chow and Deborah A. Williamson ()
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Mona L. Taouk: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
George Taiaroa: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Sebastian Duchene: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Soo Jen Low: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Charlie K. Higgs: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Darren Y. J. Lee: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Shivani Pasricha: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Nasra Higgins: Victorian Department of Health
Danielle J. Ingle: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Benjamin P. Howden: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Marcus Y. Chen: Alfred Health
Christopher K. Fairley: Alfred Health
Eric P. F. Chow: Alfred Health
Deborah A. Williamson: The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract N. gonorrhoeae, which causes the sexually transmissible infection gonorrhoea, remains a significant public health threat globally, with challenges posed by increasing transmission and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The COVID-19 pandemic introduced exceptional circumstances into communicable disease control, impacting the transmission of gonorrhoea and other infectious diseases. Through phylogenomic and phylodynamic analysis of 5881 N. gonorrhoeae genomes from Australia, we investigated N. gonorrhoeae transmission over five years, including a time period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a novel cgMLST-based genetic threshold, we demonstrate persistence of large N. gonorrhoeae genomic clusters over several years, with some persistent clusters associated with heterosexual transmission. We observed a decline in both N. gonorrhoeae transmission and genomic diversity during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggestive of an evolutionary bottleneck. The longitudinal, occult transmission of N. gonorrhoeae over many years further highlights the urgent need for improved diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies for gonorrhoea.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52343-0

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