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Christensen PA, Olsen RJ, Long SW, Snehal R, Davis JJ, Ojeda Saavedra M, Reppond K, Shyer MN, Cambric J, Gadd R, Thakur RM, Batajoo A, Mangham R, Pena S, Trinh T, Kinskey JC, Williams G, Olson R, Gollihar J, Musser JM. Signals of Significantly Increased Vaccine Breakthrough, Decreased Hospitalization Rates, and Less Severe Disease in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Caused by the Omicron Variant of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Houston, Texas. Am J Pathol 2022; 192:642-652. [PMID: 35123975 PMCID: PMC8812084 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continue to dramatically alter the landscape of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The recently described variant of concern designated Omicron (B.1.1.529) has rapidly spread worldwide and is now responsible for the majority of COVID-19 cases in many countries. Because Omicron was recognized recently, many knowledge gaps exist about its epidemiology, clinical severity, and disease course. A genome sequencing study of SARS-CoV-2 in the Houston Methodist health care system identified 4468 symptomatic patients with infections caused by Omicron from late November 2021 through January 5, 2022. Omicron rapidly increased in only 3 weeks to cause 90% of all new COVID-19 cases, and at the end of the study period caused 98% of new cases. Compared with patients infected with either Alpha or Delta variants in our health care system, Omicron patients were significantly younger, had significantly increased vaccine breakthrough rates, and were significantly less likely to be hospitalized. Omicron patients required less intense respiratory support and had a shorter length of hospital stay, consistent with on average decreased disease severity. Two patients with Omicron stealth sublineage BA.2 also were identified. The data document the unusually rapid spread and increased occurrence of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant in metropolitan Houston, Texas, and address the lack of information about disease character among US patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Christensen
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Laboratory of Antibody Discovery and Accelerated Protein Therapeutics, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Laboratory of Antibody Discovery and Accelerated Protein Therapeutics, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - S Wesley Long
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Laboratory of Antibody Discovery and Accelerated Protein Therapeutics, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Richard Snehal
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - James J Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Kristina Reppond
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Madison N Shyer
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jessica Cambric
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Ryan Gadd
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Rashi M Thakur
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Akanksha Batajoo
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Regan Mangham
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Sindy Pena
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Trina Trinh
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jacob C Kinskey
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Guy Williams
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Robert Olson
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Jimmy Gollihar
- Laboratory of Antibody Discovery and Accelerated Protein Therapeutics, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - James M Musser
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Laboratory of Antibody Discovery and Accelerated Protein Therapeutics, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
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2
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Christensen PA, Olsen RJ, Long SW, Subedi S, Davis JJ, Hodjat P, Walley DR, Kinskey JC, Ojeda Saavedra M, Pruitt L, Reppond K, Shyer MN, Cambric J, Gadd R, Thakur RM, Batajoo A, Mangham R, Pena S, Trinh T, Yerramilli P, Nguyen M, Olson R, Snehal R, Gollihar J, Musser JM. Delta Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Cause Significantly Increased Vaccine Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases in Houston, Texas. Am J Pathol 2022. [PMID: 34774517 DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.19.21260808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have repeatedly altered the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Delta variants are now the focus of intense international attention because they are causing widespread COVID-19 globally and are associated with vaccine breakthrough cases. We sequenced 16,965 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from samples acquired March 15, 2021, through September 20, 2021, in the Houston Methodist hospital system. This sample represents 91% of all Methodist system COVID-19 patients during the study period. Delta variants increased rapidly from late April onward to cause 99.9% of all COVID-19 cases and spread throughout the Houston metroplex. Compared with all other variants combined, Delta caused a significantly higher rate of vaccine breakthrough cases (23.7% for Delta compared with 6.6% for all other variants combined). Importantly, significantly fewer fully vaccinated individuals required hospitalization. Vaccine breakthrough cases caused by Delta had a low median PCR cycle threshold value (a proxy for high virus load). This value was similar to the median cycle threshold value for unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 caused by Delta variants, suggesting that fully vaccinated individuals can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others. Patients infected with Alpha and Delta variants had several significant differences. The integrated analysis indicates that vaccines used in the United States are highly effective in decreasing severe COVID-19, hospitalizations, and deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Christensen
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - S Wesley Long
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Sishir Subedi
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - James J Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Parsa Hodjat
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Debbie R Walley
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jacob C Kinskey
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Layne Pruitt
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Kristina Reppond
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Madison N Shyer
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jessica Cambric
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Ryan Gadd
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Rashi M Thakur
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Akanksha Batajoo
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Regan Mangham
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Sindy Pena
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Trina Trinh
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Prasanti Yerramilli
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Marcus Nguyen
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Robert Olson
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Richard Snehal
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jimmy Gollihar
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory-South, Austin, Texas
| | - James M Musser
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
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3
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Christensen PA, Olsen RJ, Long SW, Subedi S, Davis JJ, Hodjat P, Walley DR, Kinskey JC, Ojeda Saavedra M, Pruitt L, Reppond K, Shyer MN, Cambric J, Gadd R, Thakur RM, Batajoo A, Mangham R, Pena S, Trinh T, Yerramilli P, Nguyen M, Olson R, Snehal R, Gollihar J, Musser JM. Delta Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Cause Significantly Increased Vaccine Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases in Houston, Texas. Am J Pathol 2022; 192:320-331. [PMID: 34774517 PMCID: PMC8580569 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2021.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have repeatedly altered the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Delta variants are now the focus of intense international attention because they are causing widespread COVID-19 globally and are associated with vaccine breakthrough cases. We sequenced 16,965 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from samples acquired March 15, 2021, through September 20, 2021, in the Houston Methodist hospital system. This sample represents 91% of all Methodist system COVID-19 patients during the study period. Delta variants increased rapidly from late April onward to cause 99.9% of all COVID-19 cases and spread throughout the Houston metroplex. Compared with all other variants combined, Delta caused a significantly higher rate of vaccine breakthrough cases (23.7% for Delta compared with 6.6% for all other variants combined). Importantly, significantly fewer fully vaccinated individuals required hospitalization. Vaccine breakthrough cases caused by Delta had a low median PCR cycle threshold value (a proxy for high virus load). This value was similar to the median cycle threshold value for unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 caused by Delta variants, suggesting that fully vaccinated individuals can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others. Patients infected with Alpha and Delta variants had several significant differences. The integrated analysis indicates that vaccines used in the United States are highly effective in decreasing severe COVID-19, hospitalizations, and deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Christensen
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - S Wesley Long
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Sishir Subedi
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - James J Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Parsa Hodjat
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Debbie R Walley
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jacob C Kinskey
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Layne Pruitt
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Kristina Reppond
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Madison N Shyer
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jessica Cambric
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Ryan Gadd
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Rashi M Thakur
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Akanksha Batajoo
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Regan Mangham
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Sindy Pena
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Trina Trinh
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Prasanti Yerramilli
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Marcus Nguyen
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Robert Olson
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Richard Snehal
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jimmy Gollihar
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory-South, Austin, Texas
| | - James M Musser
- Laboratory of Human Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
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4
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Long SW, Olsen RJ, Christensen PA, Subedi S, Olson R, Davis JJ, Saavedra MO, Yerramilli P, Pruitt L, Reppond K, Shyer MN, Cambric J, Finkelstein IJ, Gollihar J, Musser JM. Sequence Analysis of 20,453 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Genomes from the Houston Metropolitan Area Identifies the Emergence and Widespread Distribution of Multiple Isolates of All Major Variants of Concern. Am J Pathol 2021; 191:983-992. [PMID: 33741335 PMCID: PMC7962948 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Since the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, there has been international concern about the emergence of virus variants with mutations that increase transmissibility, enhance escape from the human immune response, or otherwise alter biologically important phenotypes. In late 2020, several variants of concern emerged globally, including the UK variant (B.1.1.7), the South Africa variant (B.1.351), Brazil variants (P.1 and P.2), and two related California variants of interest (B.1.429 and B.1.427). These variants are believed to have enhanced transmissibility. For the South Africa and Brazil variants, there is evidence that mutations in spike protein permit it to escape from some vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. On the basis of our extensive genome sequencing program involving 20,453 coronavirus disease 2019 patient samples collected from March 2020 to February 2021, we report identification of all six of these SARS-CoV-2 variants among Houston Methodist Hospital (Houston, TX) patients residing in the greater metropolitan area. Although these variants are currently at relatively low frequency (aggregate of 1.1%) in the population, they are geographically widespread. Houston is the first city in the United States in which active circulation of all six current variants of concern has been documented by genome sequencing. As vaccine deployment accelerates, increased genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to understanding the presence, frequency, and medical impact of consequential variants and their patterns and trajectory of dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Wesley Long
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Paul A Christensen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Sishir Subedi
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Robert Olson
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, 22 University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - James J Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, 22 University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Prasanti Yerramilli
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Layne Pruitt
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Kristina Reppond
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Madison N Shyer
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jessica Cambric
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Ilya J Finkelstein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Jimmy Gollihar
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; CCDC Army Research Laboratory-South, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
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5
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Long SW, Olsen RJ, Christensen PA, Bernard DW, Davis JJ, Shukla M, Nguyen M, Saavedra MO, Yerramilli P, Pruitt L, Subedi S, Kuo HC, Hendrickson H, Eskandari G, Nguyen HAT, Long JH, Kumaraswami M, Goike J, Boutz D, Gollihar J, McLellan JS, Chou CW, Javanmardi K, Finkelstein IJ, Musser JM. Molecular Architecture of Early Dissemination and Massive Second Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus in a Major Metropolitan Area. mBio 2020; 11:e02707-20. [PMID: 33127862 PMCID: PMC7642679 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02707-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We sequenced the genomes of 5,085 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains causing two coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease waves in metropolitan Houston, TX, an ethnically diverse region with 7 million residents. The genomes were from viruses recovered in the earliest recognized phase of the pandemic in Houston and from viruses recovered in an ongoing massive second wave of infections. The virus was originally introduced into Houston many times independently. Virtually all strains in the second wave have a Gly614 amino acid replacement in the spike protein, a polymorphism that has been linked to increased transmission and infectivity. Patients infected with the Gly614 variant strains had significantly higher virus loads in the nasopharynx on initial diagnosis. We found little evidence of a significant relationship between virus genotype and altered virulence, stressing the linkage between disease severity, underlying medical conditions, and host genetics. Some regions of the spike protein-the primary target of global vaccine efforts-are replete with amino acid replacements, perhaps indicating the action of selection. We exploited the genomic data to generate defined single amino acid replacements in the receptor binding domain of spike protein that, importantly, produced decreased recognition by the neutralizing monoclonal antibody CR3022. Our report represents the first analysis of the molecular architecture of SARS-CoV-2 in two infection waves in a major metropolitan region. The findings will help us to understand the origin, composition, and trajectory of future infection waves and the potential effect of the host immune response and therapeutic maneuvers on SARS-CoV-2 evolution.IMPORTANCE There is concern about second and subsequent waves of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus occurring in communities globally that had an initial disease wave. Metropolitan Houston, TX, with a population of 7 million, is experiencing a massive second disease wave that began in late May 2020. To understand SARS-CoV-2 molecular population genomic architecture and evolution and the relationship between virus genotypes and patient features, we sequenced the genomes of 5,085 SARS-CoV-2 strains from these two waves. Our report provides the first molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2 strains causing two distinct COVID-19 disease waves.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Amino Acid Substitution
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Base Sequence
- Betacoronavirus/genetics
- Betacoronavirus/immunology
- COVID-19
- COVID-19 Testing
- Clinical Laboratory Techniques
- Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis
- Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology
- Coronavirus Infections/immunology
- Coronavirus Infections/virology
- Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
- Genome, Viral
- Genotype
- Humans
- Machine Learning
- Models, Molecular
- Molecular Diagnostic Techniques
- Pandemics
- Phylogeny
- Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology
- Pneumonia, Viral/immunology
- Pneumonia, Viral/virology
- RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase/chemistry
- RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase/genetics
- SARS-CoV-2
- Sequence Analysis, Protein
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Texas/epidemiology
- Viral Nonstructural Proteins/chemistry
- Viral Nonstructural Proteins/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- S Wesley Long
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Paul A Christensen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - David W Bernard
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - James J Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Maulik Shukla
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Marcus Nguyen
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Prasanti Yerramilli
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Layne Pruitt
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sishir Subedi
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Hung-Che Kuo
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Heather Hendrickson
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ghazaleh Eskandari
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Hoang A T Nguyen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - J Hunter Long
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Muthiah Kumaraswami
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jule Goike
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel Boutz
- CCDC Army Research Laboratory-South, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jimmy Gollihar
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- CCDC Army Research Laboratory-South, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jason S McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Chia-Wei Chou
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Kamyab Javanmardi
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Ilya J Finkelstein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
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6
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Varela MC, Roch M, Taglialegna A, Long SW, Saavedra MO, Rose WE, Davis JJ, Hoffman LR, Hernandez RE, Rosato RR, Rosato AE. Carbapenems drive the collateral resistance to ceftaroline in cystic fibrosis patients with MRSA. Commun Biol 2020; 3:599. [PMID: 33093601 PMCID: PMC7582194 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01313-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic airways infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is associated with worse respiratory disease cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Ceftaroline is a cephalosporin that inhibits the penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) uniquely produced by MRSA. We analyzed 335 S. aureus isolates from CF sputum samples collected at three US centers between 2015-2018. Molecular relationships demonstrated that high-level resistance of preceding isolates to carbapenems were associated with subsequent isolation of ceftaroline resistant CF MRSA. In vitro evolution experiments showed that pre-exposure of CF MRSA to meropenem with further selection with ceftaroline implied mutations in mecA and additional mutations in pbp1 and pbp2, targets of carbapenems; no effects were achieved by other β-lactams. An in vivo pneumonia mouse model showed the potential therapeutic efficacy of ceftaroline/meropenem combination against ceftaroline-resistant CF MRSA infections. Thus, the present findings highlight risk factors and potential therapeutic strategies offering an opportunity to both prevent and address antibiotic resistance in this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Celeste Varela
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Melanie Roch
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Agustina Taglialegna
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Scott W Long
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Warren E Rose
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - James J Davis
- Argonne National Laboratory (DOE), Lemont, IL, USA
- Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lucas R Hoffman
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rafael E Hernandez
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Roberto R Rosato
- Houston Methodist Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, USA
| | - Adriana E Rosato
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA.
- Riverside University Health System-Medical Center, 26520 Cactus Avenue, Moreno Valley, CA, 92555, USA.
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7
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Long SW, Olsen RJ, Christensen PA, Bernard DW, Davis JJ, Shukla M, Nguyen M, Saavedra MO, Yerramilli P, Pruitt L, Subedi S, Kuo HC, Hendrickson H, Eskandari G, Nguyen HAT, Long JH, Kumaraswami M, Goike J, Boutz D, Gollihar J, McLellan JS, Chou CW, Javanmardi K, Finkelstein IJ, Musser JM. Molecular Architecture of Early Dissemination and Massive Second Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus in a Major Metropolitan Area. medRxiv 2020:2020.09.22.20199125. [PMID: 33024977 PMCID: PMC7536878 DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.22.20199125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
We sequenced the genomes of 5,085 SARS-CoV-2 strains causing two COVID-19 disease waves in metropolitan Houston, Texas, an ethnically diverse region with seven million residents. The genomes were from viruses recovered in the earliest recognized phase of the pandemic in Houston, and an ongoing massive second wave of infections. The virus was originally introduced into Houston many times independently. Virtually all strains in the second wave have a Gly614 amino acid replacement in the spike protein, a polymorphism that has been linked to increased transmission and infectivity. Patients infected with the Gly614 variant strains had significantly higher virus loads in the nasopharynx on initial diagnosis. We found little evidence of a significant relationship between virus genotypes and altered virulence, stressing the linkage between disease severity, underlying medical conditions, and host genetics. Some regions of the spike protein - the primary target of global vaccine efforts - are replete with amino acid replacements, perhaps indicating the action of selection. We exploited the genomic data to generate defined single amino acid replacements in the receptor binding domain of spike protein that, importantly, produced decreased recognition by the neutralizing monoclonal antibody CR30022. Our study is the first analysis of the molecular architecture of SARS-CoV-2 in two infection waves in a major metropolitan region. The findings will help us to understand the origin, composition, and trajectory of future infection waves, and the potential effect of the host immune response and therapeutic maneuvers on SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Wesley Long
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065
| | - Randall J. Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065
| | - Paul A. Christensen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - David W. Bernard
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065
| | - James J. Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, 5801 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60637
- Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439
| | - Maulik Shukla
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, 5801 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60637
- Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439
| | - Marcus Nguyen
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, 5801 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60637
- Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Prasanti Yerramilli
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Layne Pruitt
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Sishir Subedi
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Hung-Che Kuo
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Heather Hendrickson
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Ghazaleh Eskandari
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Hoang A. T. Nguyen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - J. Hunter Long
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Muthiah Kumaraswami
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Jule Goike
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Daniel Boutz
- CCDC Army Research Laboratory-South, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Jimmy Gollihar
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
- CCDC Army Research Laboratory-South, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Jason S. McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Chia-Wei Chou
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Kamyab Javanmardi
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Ilya J. Finkelstein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - James M. Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065
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8
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Zhu L, Olsen RJ, Beres SB, Saavedra MO, Kubiak SL, Cantu CC, Jenkins L, Waller AS, Sun Z, Palzkill T, Porter AR, DeLeo FR, Musser JM. Streptococcus pyogenes genes that promote pharyngitis in primates. JCI Insight 2020; 5:137686. [PMID: 32493846 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.137686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus; GAS) causes 600 million cases of pharyngitis annually worldwide. There is no licensed human GAS vaccine despite a century of research. Although the human oropharynx is the primary site of GAS infection, the pathogenic genes and molecular processes used to colonize, cause disease, and persist in the upper respiratory tract are poorly understood. Using dense transposon mutant libraries made with serotype M1 and M28 GAS strains and transposon-directed insertion sequencing, we performed genome-wide screens in the nonhuman primate (NHP) oropharynx. We identified many potentially novel GAS fitness genes, including a common set of 115 genes that contribute to fitness in both genetically distinct GAS strains during experimental NHP pharyngitis. Targeted deletion of 4 identified fitness genes/operons confirmed that our newly identified targets are critical for GAS virulence during experimental pharyngitis. Our screens discovered many surface-exposed or secreted proteins - substrates for vaccine research - that potentially contribute to GAS pharyngitis, including lipoprotein HitA. Pooled human immune globulin reacted with purified HitA, suggesting that humans produce antibodies against this lipoprotein. Our findings provide new information about GAS fitness in the upper respiratory tract that may assist in translational research, including developing novel vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luchang Zhu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Stephen B Beres
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha L Kubiak
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Concepcion C Cantu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Leslie Jenkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew S Waller
- Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Newmarket, United Kingdom
| | - Zhizeng Sun
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Timothy Palzkill
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Adeline R Porter
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Frank R DeLeo
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
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9
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Salazar E, Perez KK, Ashraf M, Chen J, Castillo B, Christensen PA, Eubank T, Bernard DW, Eagar TN, Long SW, Subedi S, Olsen RJ, Leveque C, Schwartz MR, Dey M, Chavez-East C, Rogers J, Shehabeldin A, Joseph D, Williams G, Thomas K, Masud F, Talley C, Dlouhy KG, Lopez BV, Hampton C, Lavinder J, Gollihar JD, Maranhao AC, Ippolito GC, Saavedra MO, Cantu CC, Yerramilli P, Pruitt L, Musser JM. Treatment of COVID-19 Patients with Convalescent Plasma in Houston, Texas. medRxiv 2020:2020.05.08.20095471. [PMID: 32511574 PMCID: PMC7274255 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.08.20095471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread globally, and no proven treatments are available. Convalescent plasma therapy has been used with varying degrees of success to treat severe microbial infections for more than 100 years. METHODS Patients (n=25) with severe and/or life-threatening COVID-19 disease were enrolled at the Houston Methodist hospitals from March 28 to April 14, 2020. Patients were transfused with convalescent plasma obtained from donors with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and had been symptom free for 14 days. The primary study outcome was safety, and the secondary outcome was clinical status at day 14 post-transfusion. Clinical improvement was assessed based on a modified World Health Organization 6-point ordinal scale and laboratory parameters. Viral genome sequencing was performed on donor and recipient strains. RESULTS At baseline, all patients were receiving supportive care, including anti-inflammatory and anti-viral treatments, and all patients were on oxygen support. At day 7 post-transfusion with convalescent plasma, nine patients had at least a 1-point improvement in clinical scale, and seven of those were discharged. By day 14 post-transfusion, 19 (76%) patients had at least a 1-point improvement in clinical status and 11 were discharged. No adverse events as a result of plasma transfusion were observed. The whole genome sequencing data did not identify a strain genotype-disease severity correlation. CONCLUSIONS The data indicate that administration of convalescent plasma is a safe treatment option for those with severe COVID-19 disease. Randomized, controlled trials are needed to determine its efficacy.
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10
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Bernard PE, Kachroo P, Eraso JM, Zhu L, Madry JE, Duarte A, Linson SE, Saavedra MO, Cantu C, Musser JM, Olsen RJ. Polymorphisms in RocA contribute to the molecular pathogenesis of serotype M28 group A streptococcus. FASEB J 2020. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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11
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Eraso JM, Kachroo P, Olsen RJ, Beres SB, Zhu L, Badu T, Shannon S, Cantu CC, Saavedra MO, Kubiak SL, Porter AR, DeLeo FR, Musser JM. Genetic heterogeneity of the Spy1336/R28-Spy1337 virulence axis in Streptococcus pyogenes and effect on gene transcript levels and pathogenesis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229064. [PMID: 32214338 PMCID: PMC7098570 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes is a strict human pathogen responsible for more than 700 million infections annually worldwide. Strains of serotype M28 S. pyogenes are typically among the five more abundant types causing invasive infections and pharyngitis in adults and children. Type M28 strains also have an unusual propensity to cause puerperal sepsis and neonatal disease. We recently discovered that a one-nucleotide indel in an intergenic homopolymeric tract located between genes Spy1336/R28 and Spy1337 altered virulence in a mouse model of infection. In the present study, we analyzed size variation in this homopolymeric tract and determined the extent of heterogeneity in the number of tandemly-repeated 79-amino acid domains in the coding region of Spy1336/R28 in large samples of strains recovered from humans with invasive infections. Both repeat sequence elements are highly polymorphic in natural populations of M28 strains. Variation in the homopolymeric tract results in (i) changes in transcript levels of Spy1336/R28 and Spy1337 in vitro, (ii) differences in virulence in a mouse model of necrotizing myositis, and (iii) global transcriptome changes as shown by RNAseq analysis of isogenic mutant strains. Variation in the number of tandem repeats in the coding sequence of Spy1336/R28 is responsible for size variation of R28 protein in natural populations. Isogenic mutant strains in which genes encoding R28 or transcriptional regulator Spy1337 are inactivated are significantly less virulent in a nonhuman primate model of necrotizing myositis. Our findings provide impetus for additional studies addressing the role of R28 and Spy1337 variation in pathogen-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus M. Eraso
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Priyanka Kachroo
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Randall J. Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Stephen B. Beres
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Luchang Zhu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Traci Badu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sydney Shannon
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Concepcion C. Cantu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Samantha L. Kubiak
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Adeline R. Porter
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Frank R. DeLeo
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - James M. Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
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12
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Kachroo P, Eraso JM, Olsen RJ, Zhu L, Kubiak SL, Pruitt L, Yerramilli P, Cantu CC, Ojeda Saavedra M, Pensar J, Corander J, Jenkins L, Kao L, Granillo A, Porter AR, DeLeo FR, Musser JM. New Pathogenesis Mechanisms and Translational Leads Identified by Multidimensional Analysis of Necrotizing Myositis in Primates. mBio 2020; 11:e03363-19. [PMID: 32071274 PMCID: PMC7029145 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03363-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A fundamental goal of contemporary biomedical research is to understand the molecular basis of disease pathogenesis and exploit this information to develop targeted and more-effective therapies. Necrotizing myositis caused by the bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes is a devastating human infection with a high mortality rate and few successful therapeutic options. We used dual transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze the transcriptomes of S. pyogenes and host skeletal muscle recovered contemporaneously from infected nonhuman primates. The in vivo bacterial transcriptome was strikingly remodeled compared to organisms grown in vitro, with significant upregulation of genes contributing to virulence and altered regulation of metabolic genes. The transcriptome of muscle tissue from infected nonhuman primates (NHPs) differed significantly from that of mock-infected animals, due in part to substantial changes in genes contributing to inflammation and host defense processes. We discovered significant positive correlations between group A streptococcus (GAS) virulence factor transcripts and genes involved in the host immune response and inflammation. We also discovered significant correlations between the magnitude of bacterial virulence gene expression in vivo and pathogen fitness, as assessed by previously conducted genome-wide transposon-directed insertion site sequencing (TraDIS). By integrating the bacterial RNA-seq data with the fitness data generated by TraDIS, we discovered five new pathogen genes, namely, S. pyogenes 0281 (Spy0281 [dahA]), ihk-irr, slr, isp, and ciaH, that contribute to necrotizing myositis and confirmed these findings using isogenic deletion-mutant strains. Taken together, our study results provide rich new information about the molecular events occurring in severe invasive infection of primate skeletal muscle that has extensive translational research implications.IMPORTANCE Necrotizing myositis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes has high morbidity and mortality rates and relatively few successful therapeutic options. In addition, there is no licensed human S. pyogenes vaccine. To gain enhanced understanding of the molecular basis of this infection, we employed a multidimensional analysis strategy that included dual RNA-seq and other data derived from experimental infection of nonhuman primates. The data were used to target five streptococcal genes for pathogenesis research, resulting in the unambiguous demonstration that these genes contribute to pathogen-host molecular interactions in necrotizing infections. We exploited fitness data derived from a recently conducted genome-wide transposon mutagenesis study to discover significant correlation between the magnitude of bacterial virulence gene expression in vivo and pathogen fitness. Collectively, our findings have significant implications for translational research, potentially including vaccine efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Kachroo
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jesus M Eraso
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Luchang Zhu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha L Kubiak
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Layne Pruitt
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Prasanti Yerramilli
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Concepcion C Cantu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Johan Pensar
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Leslie Jenkins
- Comparative Medicine Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Lillian Kao
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alejandro Granillo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Adeline R Porter
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Frank R DeLeo
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
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13
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Gagetti P, Errecalde L, Wattam AR, De Belder D, Ojeda Saavedra M, Corso A, Rosato AE. Characterization of the First mecA-Positive Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius Isolated from an Argentinian Patient. Microb Drug Resist 2020; 26:717-721. [PMID: 32031908 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2019.0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is commonly associated with colonization or infection in dogs, and was identified as a novel species within the genus Staphylococcus in 2006. Methicillin resistance emerged in S. pseudintermedius during the last decade. We describe here a genomic characterization of the first methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) recovered from a human patient in Argentina. The strain was phenotypically identified as MRSP 8510 by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We assessed genetic characterization by mecA PCR, SCCmec (staphylococcal chromosomal cassette) typing, and whole-genome sequencing. MRSP 8510 was phenotypically resistant to six classes of antimicrobial agents, consistent with the genes found in its genome. We concluded that MRSP 8510 was a multidrug-resistant ST1412 isolate. This study highlights the importance of the detection and characterization of pathogens with potential risks of zoonotic transmission to humans, as they may constitute a reservoir of genes associated with antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Gagetti
- Servicio Antimicrobianos, INEI-ANLIS- "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán," Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura Errecalde
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Hospital J. A. Fernandez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alice R Wattam
- Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Denise De Belder
- Servicio Antimicrobianos, INEI-ANLIS- "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán," Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alejandra Corso
- Servicio Antimicrobianos, INEI-ANLIS- "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán," Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adriana E Rosato
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
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14
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Bernard PE, Kachroo P, Eraso JM, Zhu L, Madry JE, Linson SE, Ojeda Saavedra M, Cantu C, Musser JM, Olsen RJ. Polymorphisms in Regulator of Cov Contribute to the Molecular Pathogenesis of Serotype M28 Group A Streptococcus. Am J Pathol 2019; 189:2002-2018. [PMID: 31369755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2019.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Two-component systems (TCSs) are signal transduction proteins that enable bacteria to respond to external stimuli by altering the global transcriptome. Accessory proteins interact with TCSs to fine-tune their activity. In group A Streptococcus (GAS), regulator of Cov (RocA) is an accessory protein that functions with the control of virulence regulator/sensor TCS, which regulates approximately 15% of the GAS transcriptome. Whole-genome sequencing analysis of serotype M28 GAS strains collected from invasive infections in humans identified a higher number of missense (amino acid-altering) and nonsense (protein-truncating) polymorphisms in rocA than expected. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in RocA alter the global transcriptome and virulence of serotype M28 GAS. We used naturally occurring clinical isolates with rocA polymorphisms (n = 48), an isogenic rocA deletion mutant strain, and five isogenic rocA polymorphism mutant strains to perform genome-wide transcript analysis (RNA sequencing), in vitro virulence factor assays, and mouse and nonhuman primate pathogenesis studies to test this hypothesis. Results demonstrated that polymorphisms in rocA result in either a subtle transcriptome change, causing a wild-type-like virulence phenotype, or a substantial transcriptome change, leading to a significantly increased virulence phenotype. Each polymorphism had a unique effect on the global GAS transcriptome. Taken together, our data show that naturally occurring polymorphisms in one gene encoding an accessory protein can significantly alter the global transcriptome and virulence phenotype of GAS, an important human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Bernard
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas
| | - Priyanka Kachroo
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jesus M Eraso
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Luchang Zhu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Jessica E Madry
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Sarah E Linson
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Concepcion Cantu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
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15
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Do H, Makthal N, VanderWal AR, Saavedra MO, Olsen RJ, Musser JM, Kumaraswami M. Environmental pH and peptide signaling control virulence of Streptococcus pyogenes via a quorum-sensing pathway. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2586. [PMID: 31197146 PMCID: PMC6565748 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10556-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria control gene expression in concert with their population density by a process called quorum sensing, which is modulated by bacterial chemical signals and environmental factors. In the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, production of secreted virulence factor SpeB is controlled by a quorum-sensing pathway and environmental pH. The quorum-sensing pathway consists of a secreted leaderless peptide signal (SIP), and its cognate receptor RopB. Here, we report that the SIP quorum-sensing pathway has a pH-sensing mechanism operative through a pH-sensitive histidine switch located at the base of the SIP-binding pocket of RopB. Environmental acidification induces protonation of His144 and reorganization of hydrogen bonding networks in RopB, which facilitates SIP recognition. The convergence of two disparate signals in the SIP signaling pathway results in induction of SpeB production and increased bacterial virulence. Our findings provide a model for investigating analogous crosstalk in other microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hackwon Do
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Nishanth Makthal
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Arica R VanderWal
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Muthiah Kumaraswami
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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16
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Zhu L, Olsen RJ, Beres SB, Eraso JM, Saavedra MO, Kubiak SL, Cantu CC, Jenkins L, Charbonneau ARL, Waller AS, Musser JM. Gene fitness landscape of group A streptococcus during necrotizing myositis. J Clin Invest 2019; 129:887-901. [PMID: 30667377 PMCID: PMC6355216 DOI: 10.1172/jci124994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Necrotizing fasciitis and myositis are devastating infections characterized by high mortality. Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common cause of these infections, but the molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood. We report a genome-wide analysis using serotype M1 and M28 strains that identified GAS genes contributing to necrotizing myositis in nonhuman primates (NHP), a clinically relevant model. Using transposon-directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS), we identified 126 and 116 GAS genes required for infection by serotype M1 and M28 organisms, respectively. For both M1 and M28 strains, more than 25% of the GAS genes required for necrotizing myositis encode known or putative transporters. Thirteen GAS transporters contributed to both M1 and M28 strain fitness in NHP myositis, including putative importers for amino acids, carbohydrates, and vitamins and exporters for toxins, quorum-sensing peptides, and uncharacterized molecules. Targeted deletion of genes encoding 5 transporters confirmed that each isogenic mutant strain was significantly (P < 0.05) impaired in causing necrotizing myositis in NHPs. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that these 5 genes are expressed in infected NHP and human skeletal muscle. Certain substrate-binding lipoproteins of these transporters, such as Spy0271 and Spy1728, were previously documented to be surface exposed, suggesting that our findings have translational research implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luchang Zhu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Randall J. Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Stephen B. Beres
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jesus M. Eraso
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha L. Kubiak
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Concepcion C. Cantu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Leslie Jenkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Amelia R. L. Charbonneau
- Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk, United Kingdom
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - James M. Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
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17
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Beres SB, Olsen RJ, Ojeda Saavedra M, Ure R, Reynolds A, Lindsay DSJ, Smith AJ, Musser JM. Genome sequence analysis of emm89 Streptococcus pyogenes strains causing infections in Scotland, 2010-2016. J Med Microbiol 2017; 66:1765-1773. [PMID: 29099690 PMCID: PMC5845742 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Strains of type emm89 Streptococcus pyogenes have recently increased in frequency as a cause of human infections in several countries in Europe and North America. This increase has been molecular epidemiologically linked with the emergence of a new genetically distinct clone, designated clade 3. We sought to extend our understanding of this epidemic behavior by the genetic characterization of type emm89 strains responsible in recent years for an increased frequency of infections in Scotland. Methodology We sequenced the genomes of a retrospective cohort of 122 emm89 strains recovered from patients with invasive and noninvasive infections throughout Scotland during 2010 to 2016. Results All but one of the 122 emm89 infection isolates are of the recently emerged epidemic clade 3 clonal lineage. The Scotland isolates are closely related to and not genetically distinct from recent emm89 strains from England, they constitute a single genetic population. Conclusions The clade 3 clone causes virtually all-contemporary emm89 infections in Scotland. These findings add Scotland to a growing list of countries of Europe and North America where, by whole genome sequencing, emm89 clade 3 strains have been demonstrated to be the cause of an ongoing epidemic of invasive infections and to be genetically related due to descent from a recent common progenitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen B Beres
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Randall J Olsen
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY 10021, USA
| | - Matthew Ojeda Saavedra
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Roisin Ure
- Scottish Haemophilus Legionella Meningococcus Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, New Lister Building, Glasgow, G31 2ER, Scotland, UK
| | - Arlene Reynolds
- Scottish Haemophilus Legionella Meningococcus Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, New Lister Building, Glasgow, G31 2ER, Scotland, UK
| | - Diane S J Lindsay
- Scottish Haemophilus Legionella Meningococcus Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, New Lister Building, Glasgow, G31 2ER, Scotland, UK
| | - Andrew J Smith
- Scottish Haemophilus Legionella Meningococcus Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, New Lister Building, Glasgow, G31 2ER, Scotland, UK.,College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, University of Glasgow, 378 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JZ, Scotland, UK
| | - James M Musser
- Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY 10021, USA
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