ObjectiveTo understand the distribution of capsule locus of Neisseria meningitidis clonal complex 4821 in China and provide evidence for the research of spread of meningococcal disease.
MethodsSoftware Artemis, MEGA 6, SimPlot and RDP were used to analyze the whole genome sequence of 41 N. meningitidis strains, the sequence divergence of the capsule locus, sequence recombination and genomic rearrangement were studied.
ResultsThe ACE regions are highly divergent and likely involved in recombination events. The analysis of the nucleotide sequence of region D and D′ showed significant divergence. Finally, this study identified a genomic rearrangement in cps.
ConclusionAltogether, this analysis showed that the capsular locus was evolutionary unstable which might be due to recombination events that could lead to capsule switching and have consequences in terms of pathogenesis.