Unencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae from conjunctivitis encode variant traits and belong to a distinct phylogenetic cluster

Michael D. Valentino, Abigail Manson McGuire, Jason W. Rosch, Paulo J. M. Bispo, Corinna Burnham, Christine M. Sanfilippo, Robert A. Carter, Michael E. Zegans, Bernard Beall, Ashlee M. Earl, Elaine I. Tuomanen, Timothy W. Morris, Wolfgang Haas and Michael S. Gilmore ()
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Michael D. Valentino: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Abigail Manson McGuire: The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Jason W. Rosch: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Paulo J. M. Bispo: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Corinna Burnham: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Christine M. Sanfilippo: Bausch and Lomb Inc.
Robert A. Carter: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Michael E. Zegans: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Bernard Beall: Streptococcus Laboratory, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ashlee M. Earl: The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Elaine I. Tuomanen: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Timothy W. Morris: Bausch and Lomb Inc.
Wolfgang Haas: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Michael S. Gilmore: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

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

Abstract: Abstract Streptococcus pneumoniae, an inhabitant of the upper respiratory mucosa, causes respiratory and invasive infections as well as conjunctivitis. Strains that lack the capsule, a main virulence factor and the target of current vaccines, are often isolated from conjunctivitis cases. Here we perform a comparative genomic analysis of 271 strains of conjunctivitis-causing S. pneumoniae from 72 postal codes in the United States. We find that the vast majority of conjunctivitis strains are members of a distinct cluster of closely related unencapsulated strains. These strains possess divergent forms of pneumococcal virulence factors (such as CbpA and neuraminidases) that are not shared with other unencapsulated nasopharyngeal S. pneumoniae. They also possess putative adhesins that have not been described in encapsulated pneumococci. These findings suggest that the unencapsulated strains capable of causing conjunctivitis utilize a pathogenesis strategy substantially different from that described for S. pneumoniae at other infection sites.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6411

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