The main virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae is the capsule. The polysaccharides comprising this capsule are encoded by approximately 15 genes and differences in these genes result in different serotypes. The aim of this study was to investigate the sequence diversity of the capsular genes of serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C, 19A and 19F and to explore a possible effect of vaccination on variation...

BACKGROUND A quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) was licensed in the United States in 2005; no serogroup B vaccine is available. Neisseria meningitidis changes its capsular phenotype through capsular switching, which has implications for vaccines that do not protect against all serogroups. METHODS Meningococcal isolates from 10 Active Bacterial Core surveillance sites from 200...

Current serotyping methods classify Pasteurella multocida into five capsular serogroups (serogroups A, B, D, E, and F) and 16 somatic serotypes (serotypes 1 to 16). In the present study, we have developed a multiplex PCR assay as a rapid alternative to the conventional capsular serotyping system. The serogroup-specific primers used in this assay were designed following identification, sequence ...

Pasteurella multocida is isolated from a variety of disease conditions from different animal species in our diagnostic laboratory. In order to determine serogroup distribution among the isolates, an indirect haemagglutination test using glutaraldehyde-fixed sheep red blood cells was employed. A serological examination of 79 isolates revealed that 47/79 were of capsular serogroup A, 11/79 capsul...

BACKGROUND Prior to the 1990s, P. multocida capsular serogroup A was the most prevalent in China, followed by serogroups B and D. Thirty years later, serogroup D became the most prevalent, followed by serogroups A and B. However, the P. multocida capsular serogroups currently circulating in China remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to provide an update on P. multocida se...

Meningococcal meningitis is a severe, life-threatening infection for which no adequate vaccine exists. Current vaccines, based on the group-specific capsular polysaccharides, provide short-term protection in adults against serogroups A and C but are ineffective in infants and do not induce protection against group B strains, the predominant cause of infection in western countries, because the p...

The increasing use of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has been accompanied by the rise of non-vaccine serotypes colonizing the human nasopharynx. The vast majority of infections are caused by microorganisms that grow in biofilms. It has recently been shown that the formation of Streptococcus pneumoniae biofilms in vivo and in vitro is hindered by the presence of capsular polysacchar...

One hundred and fourteen strains of Pasteurella multocida were isolated from different domestic animals species (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, rabbit, dog, cat), avian species (chicken, duck, turkey) and wild animals (deer, tiger, orang utan, marmoset). The serogroups of P. multocida were determined by both conventional capsular serotyping and a multiplex PCR assay targeting specific capsu...

UNLABELLED The structures of Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) are essential for defining the antigenic as well as genetic relationships between CPS serotypes. The four serotypes that comprise CPS serogroup 35 (i.e., types 35F, 35A, 35B, and 35C) are known to cross-react with genetically related type 20, 29, 34, 42, or 47F. While the structures of CPS serotype 35A (CPS35A...

Pasteurella multocida is known as one of the main organisms causing pneumonia in sheep. As immunity in pasteurellosis is serogroup specific, identification of prevalent capsular group among endemic areas is essential. The aim of this study was to molecular identification and determine of the capsular type of the P. multocida strains isolated from sheep pneumonia in Iran. Bacteriological and bio...