Identifying Genes Linked to Group B Streptococcus Infections
Author Information
Author(s): Lixin Zhang, Usha Reddi, Usha Srinivasan, Sheng Li, Stephanie M. Borchardt, Parvathy Pillai, Puja Mehta, Anne N. Styka, Joan DeBusscher, Carl F. Marrs, Betsy Foxman
Primary Institution: University of Michigan School of Public Health
Hypothesis
Can a high-throughput molecular epidemiological approach identify bacterial virulence genes associated with Group B Streptococcus?
Conclusion
The study successfully identified several bacterial genes that may contribute to the pathogenicity of Group B Streptococcus.
Supporting Evidence
- Four ORFs were found more frequently in invasive than commensal isolates.
- Comparative genomic hybridization allowed for the identification of variable ORFs.
- 35 ORFs were identified as absent/divergent in at least two commensal tester strains but present in invasive strains.
Takeaway
Researchers looked at bacteria that can make people sick and found some genes that might help them do that. They used special technology to study a lot of bacteria at once.
Methodology
The study used microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization to compare invasive and commensal Group B Streptococcus strains and identify variable open reading frames (ORFs).
Limitations
The study could not capture the full diversity of commensal isolates and relied on sequenced genomes, limiting the identification of potential virulence genes in unsequenced strains.
Participant Demographics
Isolates included 386 from patients with invasive diseases and 563 from healthy individuals.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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