Characterization of Neisseria meningitidis isolates that do not express the virulence factor and vaccine antigen factor H binding protein.

Journal article

Neisseria meningitidis remains a leading cause of bacterial sepsis and meningitis. Complement is a key component of natural immunity against this important human pathogen, which has evolved multiple mechanisms to evade complement-mediated lysis. One approach adopted by the meningococcus is to recruit a human negative regulator of the complement system, factor H (fH), to its surface via a lipoprotein, factor H binding protein (fHbp). Additionally, fHbp is a key antigen in vaccines currently being evaluated in clinical trials. Here we characterize strains of N. meningitidis from several distinct clonal complexes which do not express fHbp; all strains were recovered from patients with disseminated meningococcal disease. We demonstrate that these strains have either a frameshift mutation in the fHbp open reading frame or have entirely lost fHbp and some flanking sequences. No fH binding was detected to other ligands among the fHbp-negative strains. The implications of these findings for meningococcal pathogenesis and prevention are discussed.

Authors: Lucidarme, J; Tan, L; Exley, R; Findlow, J; Borrow, R

• Journal: Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1002-1014
• Publication date: 2011-06-01
• DOI: 10.1128/cvi.00055-11
• EISSN: 1556-679X
• ISSN: 1556-6811
• Language: English
• Keywords: Neisseria meningitidis; Frameshift Mutation; Meningococcal Infections; Bacterial Vaccines; Antigens, Bacterial; Bacterial Proteins; Virulence Factors; Humans; Gene Deletion