Genomic Characterisation of Group BStreptococcusfrom Argentina: Insights into Prophage Diversity, Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Authors: Kovacec Veronica , Gregorio Sabrina Di , Pajon Mario , Khan Uzma Basit , Poklepovich Tomas , Campos Josefina , Crestani Chiara , Bentley Stephen D. , Jamrozy Dorota , Mollerach Marta , Bonofiglio Laura 
Published: December 2024

Group BStreptococcus(GBS) is a commensal bacterium that can cause severe infections in infants and adults with comorbidities. Resistance and reduced susceptibility to antibiotics is continually on the rise, and vaccines remain in-development. Prophages have been reported to contribute to GBS evolution and pathogenicity. However, no studies are available to date on prophage contribution to the epidemiology of GBS isolates from humans in South America. In the context of an Argentinian multicentric study, we had previously phenotypically characterised 365 human GBS isolates from invasive disease, urinary infections and maternal colonisation. These isolates had been whole genome sequenced and their prophage presence bioinformatically determined. In this study, we genomically characterised the isolates and analysed the prophage content in the context of the epidemiological data. The phylogenetic analysis of the 365 genomes with 103 GBS from public databases revealed that Argentinian GBS were related to isolates from around the world. The most prevalent lineages, independently of the isolate source, were CC23/Ia and CC12/Ib. Genes encoding virulence factors involved in immune response evasion, tissue damage and adherence to host tissues and invasion were found in all of the genomes in accordance with previously described lineage distribution. According to the prevalent capsular types and the distribution of specific virulence factors in Argentinian GBS, over 95% coverage would be expected from the vaccines currently under development. Antibiotic resistance determinants (ARDs) to at least one antibiotic class were found in 90% of the genomes, including novel mutations inpbp2x, while more than 15% carried ARDs to 3 or more classes. GBS collected from urinary infections carried a significantly higher proportion of ARDs to multiple antibiotic classes than the rest of the isolates. A total of 454 prophages were found among the 468 genomes analysed, which were classified into 23 prophage types. Prophage presence exhibited variations based on GBS clonal complex and capsular type. A possible association between an increased GBS pathogenicity and the carriage of prophages with integrase type GBSInt8 and/or the presence of genes that encode the Phox Homology domain has been observed. The highest prevalence of prophages per genome was found in lineages CC17/III and CC19/III, while the lowest amount was observed in CC12/Ib. Overall, the highest density of prophages, virulence factors and ARDs determinants was found in CC19 isolates, mostly of capsular type III, independently of the isolates source. This is the first analysis of the human-associated GBS population in South America based on whole genome sequencing data, which will make a significant contribution to future studies on the global GBS population structure.

Data summary

Supplementary results and figures can be found in Supplementary Material 1. Supplementary tables can be found in Supplementary Material 2. All datasets analysed in this study are detailed in the Supplementary Materials. Metadata about the genomes analysed can be found in the microreact project created for this study:https://microreact.org/project/gbs-pangenomic-analysis.

Impact statement

In Latin America studies on the epidemiology of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) are scarce, especially those describing clonal complex and serotype distribution, and the role of prophages in GBS epidemiology has not been studied. This article addresses the first genomic characterisation of the human-isolated GBS population in Latin America based on whole genome sequencing data, with special focus on the analysis of prophage content. We determine the clonal complex and serotype distribution of 365 GBS isolates collected from clinical samples in an Argentinian multicenter study and analyse the presence of prophages and virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants in the context of the epidemiological data. Through these analyses, we were able to determine how GBS population structure in Argentina differs from other parts of the world and to predict the potential coverage of the in-development GBS vaccines. We also found a possible association between the carriage of certain types of prophages and an increased GBS pathogenicity. In the context of increased global efforts to develop new strategies to prevent GBS infections through vaccine development, this study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the global GBS population structure.