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<p>Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is always caused by <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i>, presents a significant clinical challenge with high mortality rates (up to 20%) and not only neurological sequelae, but also physical and psychological sequelae in survivors. While vaccination has effectively reduced the incidence of traditional serogroups like A and C in China, the emergence of serogroup replacement due to capsular switching—horizontal gene transfer of capsular genes—threatens ongoing public health efforts. This study reports firstly the identification of a ST-7 NmX strain (20220811) in Jiangsu Province, China, suspected to have arisen from an ST-7 NmA progenitor via capsular switching. Whole-genome comparison and phylogenetic analysis revealed a high degree of core genome similarity between the X strain and ST-7 serogroup A strains. However, a significant divergence was observed within the capsular gene cluster region spanning ctrC to rfbA (~ 10.6&#xa0;kb), with recombination breakpoints identified near these genes. These findings strongly suggest the acquisition of NmX capsule through large fragment recombination. Meantime, virulence factor analysis indicated the absence of adhesion-related genes opa and pilC in the X strain, potentially reflecting a trade-off between reduced invasive capacity and enhanced immune evasion.</p>

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The molecular characteristic of Neisseria meningtidis serogroup X strain emerging in Jiangsu province, China, 2022

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月13日

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  • Jiawei Li,
  • Yan Xu,
  • Yun Wu,
  • Lin Luan,
  • Wenyu Wang,
  • Qiang Chen,
  • Si Qin,
  • Hongxiong Guo

摘要

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is always caused by Neisseria meningitidis, presents a significant clinical challenge with high mortality rates (up to 20%) and not only neurological sequelae, but also physical and psychological sequelae in survivors. While vaccination has effectively reduced the incidence of traditional serogroups like A and C in China, the emergence of serogroup replacement due to capsular switching—horizontal gene transfer of capsular genes—threatens ongoing public health efforts. This study reports firstly the identification of a ST-7 NmX strain (20220811) in Jiangsu Province, China, suspected to have arisen from an ST-7 NmA progenitor via capsular switching. Whole-genome comparison and phylogenetic analysis revealed a high degree of core genome similarity between the X strain and ST-7 serogroup A strains. However, a significant divergence was observed within the capsular gene cluster region spanning ctrC to rfbA (~ 10.6 kb), with recombination breakpoints identified near these genes. These findings strongly suggest the acquisition of NmX capsule through large fragment recombination. Meantime, virulence factor analysis indicated the absence of adhesion-related genes opa and pilC in the X strain, potentially reflecting a trade-off between reduced invasive capacity and enhanced immune evasion.