Streptococcus agalactiae clones infecting humans were selected and fixed through the extensive use of tetracycline

Violette Da Cunha, Mark R. Davies, Pierre-Emmanuel Douarre, Isabelle Rosinski-Chupin, Immaculada Margarit, Sebastien Spinali, Tim Perkins, Pierre Lechat, Nicolas Dmytruk, Elisabeth Sauvage, Laurence Ma, Benedetta Romi, Magali Tichit, Maria-José Lopez-Sanchez, Stéphane Descorps-Declere, Erika Souche, Carmen Buchrieser, Patrick Trieu-Cuot, Ivan Moszer, Dominique Clermont, Domenico Maione, Christiane Bouchier, David J. McMillan, Julian Parkhill, John L. Telford, Gordan Dougan, Mark J. Walker, Matthew T. G. Holden, Claire Poyart and Philippe Glaser ()
Additional contact information
Violette Da Cunha: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Mark R. Davies: The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Pierre-Emmanuel Douarre: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Isabelle Rosinski-Chupin: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Immaculada Margarit: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics
Sebastien Spinali: Centre National de Référence des Streptocoques, Hôpitaux Universitaires, Paris Centre Cochin–Hôtel Dieu-Broca
Tim Perkins: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics
Pierre Lechat: Institut Pasteur, Bioinformatics platform
Nicolas Dmytruk: Centre National de Référence des Streptocoques, Hôpitaux Universitaires, Paris Centre Cochin–Hôtel Dieu-Broca
Elisabeth Sauvage: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Laurence Ma: Institut Pasteur Genomic platform
Benedetta Romi: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics
Magali Tichit: Institut Pasteur Genomic platform
Maria-José Lopez-Sanchez: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Stéphane Descorps-Declere: Institut Pasteur, Bioinformatics platform
Erika Souche: Institut Pasteur, Bioinformatics platform
Carmen Buchrieser: CNRS UMR3525
Patrick Trieu-Cuot: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Ivan Moszer: Institut Pasteur, Bioinformatics platform
Dominique Clermont: Institut Pasteur, Collection de l'Institut Pasteur (CIP)
Domenico Maione: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics
Christiane Bouchier: Institut Pasteur Genomic platform
David J. McMillan: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Julian Parkhill: The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
John L. Telford: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics
Gordan Dougan: The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Mark J. Walker: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland
Matthew T. G. Holden: The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Claire Poyart: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif
Philippe Glaser: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Biologie des Bacteries Pathogènes à Gram-positif

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a commensal of the digestive and genitourinary tracts of humans that emerged as the leading cause of bacterial neonatal infections in Europe and North America during the 1960s. Due to the lack of epidemiological and genomic data, the reasons for this emergence are unknown. Here we show by comparative genome analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction of 229 isolates that the rise of human GBS infections corresponds to the selection and worldwide dissemination of only a few clones. The parallel expansion of the clones is preceded by the insertion of integrative and conjugative elements conferring tetracycline resistance (TcR). Thus, we propose that the use of tetracycline from 1948 onwards led in humans to the complete replacement of a diverse GBS population by only few TcR clones particularly well adapted to their host, causing the observed emergence of GBS diseases in neonates.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5544

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