We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Within-host microevolution of Streptococcus pneumoniae is rapid and adaptive during natural colonisation.
- Authors
Chaguza, Chrispin; Senghore, Madikay; Bojang, Ebrima; Gladstone, Rebecca A.; Lo, Stephanie W.; Tientcheu, Peggy-Estelle; Bancroft, Rowan E.; Worwui, Archibald; Foster-Nyarko, Ebenezer; Ceesay, Fatima; Okoi, Catherine; McGee, Lesley; Klugman, Keith P.; Breiman, Robert F.; Barer, Michael R.; Adegbola, Richard A.; Antonio, Martin; Bentley, Stephen D.; Kwambana-Adams, Brenda A.
- Abstract
Genomic evolution, transmission and pathogenesis of Streptococcus pneumoniae, an opportunistic human-adapted pathogen, is driven principally by nasopharyngeal carriage. However, little is known about genomic changes during natural colonisation. Here, we use whole-genome sequencing to investigate within-host microevolution of naturally carried pneumococci in ninety-eight infants intensively sampled sequentially from birth until twelve months in a high-carriage African setting. We show that neutral evolution and nucleotide substitution rates up to forty-fold faster than observed over longer timescales in S. pneumoniae and other bacteria drives high within-host pneumococcal genetic diversity. Highly divergent co-existing strain variants emerge during colonisation episodes through real-time intra-host homologous recombination while the rest are co-transmitted or acquired independently during multiple colonisation episodes. Genic and intergenic parallel evolution occur particularly in antibiotic resistance, immune evasion and epithelial adhesion genes. Our findings suggest that within-host microevolution is rapid and adaptive during natural colonisation. Streptococcus pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen and asymptomatic colonization is a precursor for invasive disease. Here the authors show rapid within-host evolution of naturally acquired pneumococci in ninety-eight infants driven by high nucleotide substitution rates and intra-host homologous recombination.
- Subjects
STREPTOCOCCUS pneumoniae; MICROEVOLUTION; COLONIZATION; DRUG resistance in bacteria; GENETIC drift; PATHOLOGY
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2020, Vol 11, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-020-17327-w