Abstract
The Gram positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen. It is a common colonizer of the human host, and in the nasopharynx, sinus, and middle ear it survives as a biofilm. This mode of growth is optimal for multi-strain colonization and genetic exchange. Over the last decades, the far-reaching use of antibiotics and the widespread implementation of pneumococcal multivalent conjugate vaccines have posed considerable selective pressure on pneumococci. This scenario provides an exceptional opportunity to study the evolution of the pangenome of a clinically important bacterium, and has the potential to serve as a case study for other species. The goal of this review is to highlight key findings in the studies of pneumococcal genomic diversity and plasticity.
Highlights
The far-reaching use of antibiotics and the widespread implementation of pneumococcal multivalent conjugate vaccines have posed considerable selective pressure on pneumococci. This scenario provides an exceptional opportunity to study the evolution of the pangenome of a clinically important bacterium, and has the potential to serve as a case study for other species
Current prevention strategies of pneumococcal infection include the use of multivalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines which target a subset of all capsular types selected based on their association to the most common and/or virulent isolates in circulation
For a detailed review see Geno et al (2015). These vaccines are effective in preventing disease and decreasing colonization due to vaccine serotypes (Pneumococcal Disease | Clinical | Streptococcus pneumoniae | CDC, 2017)
Summary
The Gram positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen It is a common colonizer of the human host, and in the nasopharynx, sinus, and middle ear it survives as a biofilm. The far-reaching use of antibiotics and the widespread implementation of pneumococcal multivalent conjugate vaccines have posed considerable selective pressure on pneumococci. This scenario provides an exceptional opportunity to study the evolution of the pangenome of a clinically important bacterium, and has the potential to serve as a case study for other species. The goal of this review is to highlight key findings in the studies of pneumococcal genomic diversity and plasticity
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