Extensive Genetic Diversity and Epidemiological Patterns of Factor H-Binding Protein Variants Among in China

Overview

Journal Microorganisms

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2024 Mar 28

PMID 38543533

Authors

Zhizhou Tan

Juan Xu

Jie Che

Li Xu

Dongshan Yan

Maojun Zhang

Zhujun Shao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Factor H-binding protein (fHbp) is a virulence factor expressed by (), the primary causative agent of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in humans. fHbp is utilized as the main component in vaccines to provide protection against IMD caused by serogroup B . In order to comprehensively investigate the genetic diversity and epidemiological patterns of fHbp variants within isolates of Chinese , we utilized the NEIS0349 locus, which encompasses the complete coding sequences of fHbp. This enabled us to identify allelic variants of fHbp with enhanced resolution. A total of 109 fHbp variants were identified in 1013 Chinese isolates. We reconstructed a phylogenetic tree and analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of each variant. Considering both temporal and geographical distribution patterns, only four fHbp variants (v2.16, v2.18, v2.404, and v2.21) exhibited persistent nationwide prevalence during the previous decade (2011-2021). These variants were highly prevalent in both serogroup B strains from patients and healthy individuals, suggesting their potential as suitable vaccine candidates for nationwide implementation against IMD caused by serogroup B strains. Our study emphasizes the significance of conducting continuous surveillance of meningococcal strains to monitor the genetic diversity of fHbp for the purpose of vaccine development.

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