Evolution and exchange of plasmids in pathogenic Neisseria

Yee, W-X; Elsener, T; Cehovin, A; Maiden, MCJ; Tang, CM

Journal article

Evolution and exchange of plasmids in pathogenic Neisseria

Abstract:: Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhoea and is on the WHO critical list due to increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The bacterium can carry a conjugative plasmid, pConj, which prevents the use of tetracycline or doxycycline for treating gonorrhea, and is responsible for spread of a β-lactamase plasmid, pbla; over 90% of gonococcal isolates also harbor a small cryptic plasmid, pCryp. We systematically analyzed the presence of these plasmids in other Neisseria spp., including Neisseria meningitidis, which causes sepsis/meningitis. pConj is the most frequently found plasmid in the meningococcus and is in many clonal complexes. The plasmid is associated with meningococcal carriage rather than disease, indicating that pConj imposes fitness costs during systemic disease. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that pConj is genetically diverse in N. meningitidis, indicating that it shares a long evolutionary history with the meningococcus and that the plasmid has been transferred at least twice from N. meningitidis to N. gonorrhoeae. Following the first transfer, gonococcal isolates carrying the plasmid underwent clonal expansion and disseminated pConj to other gonococcal lineages. The second introduction was associated with an altered conjugation machinery which reduces conjugation efficiency. Therefore, in contrast to chromosomal resistance which has evolved through introduction of genes from commensals, gonococcal plasmid-mediated resistance has arisen through transfer from another pathogen, N. meningitidis. Further antibiotic pressure from the use of doxycycline for post-exposure prophylaxis against STIs is likely to promote plasmid-mediated AMR in both N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Yee, W.-X., Elsener, T., Cehovin, A., Maiden, M. C. J., & Tang, C. M. (2023). Evolution and exchange of plasmids in pathogenic Neisseria. MSphere, 8(6).

MLA Style

Yee, W-X, et al. “Evolution and Exchange of Plasmids in Pathogenic Neisseria.” MSphere, vol. 8, no. 6, 2023.

Chicago Style

Yee, W-X, T Elsener, A Cehovin, MCJ Maiden, and CM Tang. 2023. “Evolution and Exchange of Plasmids in Pathogenic Neisseria.” MSphere 8 (6).
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