Featured Publications
Recombination in Streptococcus pneumoniae Lineages Increase with Carriage Duration and Size of the Polysaccharide Capsule
Chaguza C, Andam CP, Harris SR, Cornick JE, Yang M, Bricio-Moreno L, Kamng’ona A, Parkhill J, French N, Heyderman RS, Kadioglu A, Everett DB, Bentley SD, Hanage WP. Recombination in Streptococcus pneumoniae Lineages Increase with Carriage Duration and Size of the Polysaccharide Capsule. MBio 2016, 7: e01053-16. PMID: 27677790, PMCID: PMC5040112, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01053-16.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPneumococcal conjugate vaccineInvasive pneumococcal diseasePrevalence of carriageCarriage durationCarriage prevalenceComplex polysaccharide capsulePolysaccharide capsuleVaccine escape variantsSerotype-specific responsesDifferent pneumococcal serotypesResource-poor settingsLonger carriage durationPneumococcal diseaseConjugate vaccinePneumococcal serotypesEscape variantsUnivariate analysisHigh burdenMultivariate analysisStreptococcus pneumoniaeDrug resistanceClinical interventionsPneumococciPrevalenceVaccine
2021
Complete Genome Sequence of Streptococcus pneumoniae Strain BVJ1JL, a Serotype 1 Carriage Isolate from Malawi
Betts M, Jarvis S, Jeffries A, Gori A, Chaguza C, Msefula J, Weight CM, Kwambana-Adams B, French N, Swarthout TD, Brown JS, Heyderman RS. Complete Genome Sequence of Streptococcus pneumoniae Strain BVJ1JL, a Serotype 1 Carriage Isolate from Malawi. Microbiology Resource Announcements 2021, 10: e00715-21. PMID: 34591678, PMCID: PMC8483660, DOI: 10.1128/mra.00715-21.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchStreptococcus pneumoniae serotypes that frequently colonise the human nasopharynx are common recipients of penicillin-binding protein gene fragments from Streptococcus mitis
Kalizang'oma A, Chaguza C, Gori A, Davison C, Beleza S, Antonio M, Beall B, Goldblatt D, Kwambana-Adams B, Bentley SD, Heyderman RS. Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes that frequently colonise the human nasopharynx are common recipients of penicillin-binding protein gene fragments from Streptococcus mitis. Microbial Genomics 2021, 7: 000622. PMID: 34550067, PMCID: PMC8715442, DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000622.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsBacterial ProteinsBeta-Lactam ResistanceDrug Resistance, BacterialGene Transfer, HorizontalGenes, BacterialHumansMicrobial Sensitivity TestsNasopharynxPenicillin-Binding ProteinsPenicillinsPhylogenyPneumococcal InfectionsPneumococcal VaccinesSerogroupStreptococcusStreptococcus mitisStreptococcus oralisStreptococcus pneumoniaeWhole Genome SequencingConceptsMinimum inhibitory concentrationPneumococcal vaccine programsFirst-line treatmentHigh minimum inhibitory concentrationsStreptococcus pneumoniae serotypesPneumococcal population structurePneumococcal serotypes 6ABeta-lactam antibioticsLonger carriage durationBeta-lactam resistanceImportant global pathogenPneumococcal diseaseBacterial pneumoniaPneumococcal serotypesVaccine programSerotypes 6APneumoniae serotypesΒ-lactam susceptibilityPenicillin-binding protein (PBP) genesHuman nasopharynxCarriage durationCommensal streptococciCommon recipientInhibitory concentrationStreptococci
2020
Lower Density and Shorter Duration of Nasopharyngeal Carriage by Pneumococcal Serotype 1 (ST217) May Explain Its Increased Invasiveness over Other Serotypes
Bricio-Moreno L, Chaguza C, Yahya R, Shears RK, Cornick JE, Hokamp K, Yang M, Neill DR, French N, Hinton JCD, Everett DB, Kadioglu A. Lower Density and Shorter Duration of Nasopharyngeal Carriage by Pneumococcal Serotype 1 (ST217) May Explain Its Increased Invasiveness over Other Serotypes. MBio 2020, 11: e00814-20. PMID: 33293378, PMCID: PMC7733939, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00814-20.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInvasive pneumococcal diseaseNasopharyngeal carriageSerotype 1Invasive diseaseDisease progressionPneumococcal strainsInvasive pneumococcal disease casesQueen Elizabeth Central HospitalMajor causePneumococcal disease casesPneumococcal serotype 1Health care systemPneumococcal diseaseCentral HospitalVaccine efficacyInvasive infectionsInvasive pneumoniaCommon causeMurine modelMouse modelDisease casesCarrier stateHuman nasopharynxPneumoniaRNA sequencing analysisHypervirulent pneumococcal serotype 1 harbours two pneumolysin variants with differential haemolytic activity
Panagiotou S, Chaguza C, Yahya R, Audshasai T, Baltazar M, Ressel L, Khandaker S, Alsahag M, Mitchell TJ, Prudhomme M, Kadioglu A, Yang M. Hypervirulent pneumococcal serotype 1 harbours two pneumolysin variants with differential haemolytic activity. Scientific Reports 2020, 10: 17313. PMID: 33057054, PMCID: PMC7560715, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73454-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPneumococcal serotype 1Invasive pneumococcal diseaseSerotype 1Haemolytic activityVivo mouse modelDetectable haemolytic activityNeutrophil-mediated phagocytosisPneumococcal diseaseCommon causeInfection doseHuman reservoirMouse modelRapid onsetStreptococcus pneumoniaeDisease symptomsLethal doseClonal typesVirulence propertiesGlobal pathogenST306IgA proteaseSymptomsSequence typesMiceDose
2019
Early Signals of Vaccine-driven Perturbation Seen in Pneumococcal Carriage Population Genomic Data
Chaguza C, Heinsbroek E, Gladstone RA, Tafatatha T, Alaerts M, Peno C, Cornick JE, Musicha P, Bar-Zeev N, Kamng’ona A, Kadioglu A, McGee L, Hanage WP, Breiman RF, Heyderman RS, French N, Everett DB, Bentley SD. Early Signals of Vaccine-driven Perturbation Seen in Pneumococcal Carriage Population Genomic Data. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2019, 70: 1294-1303. PMID: 31094423, PMCID: PMC7768739, DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz404.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsYears of ageVaccine serotypesWhole-genome sequencingHigh disease burdenAntibiotic resistanceLow-income settingsPCV introductionReplacement serotypesVT serotypesPneumococcal diseaseNonvaccine serotypesCarriage rateDisease burdenPneumococcal isolatesSerotype dynamicsContinued surveillancePCV effectsAge groupsSerotypesSerotype diversityAgeVaccineResistant lineagesPCVChildren
2017
The global distribution and diversity of protein vaccine candidate antigens in the highly virulent Streptococcus pnuemoniae serotype 1
Cornick JE, Bishop Ö, Yalcin F, Kiran AM, Kumwenda B, Chaguza C, Govindpershad S, Ousmane S, Senghore M, du Plessis M, Pluschke G, Ebruke C, McGee L, Sigaùque B, Collard JM, Bentley SD, Kadioglu A, Antonio M, von Gottberg A, French N, Klugman KP, Heyderman RS, Alderson M, Everett DB, consortium F. The global distribution and diversity of protein vaccine candidate antigens in the highly virulent Streptococcus pnuemoniae serotype 1. Vaccine 2017, 35: 972-980. PMID: 28081968, PMCID: PMC5287219, DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.12.037.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsProtein vaccine candidatePneumococcal protein vaccinesProtein vaccineVaccine candidatesSerotype 1Multi-valent vaccinesSerotype 1 pneumococciPneumococcal conjugate vaccineHuman immune responseImportant pneumococcal serotypesConjugate vaccinePneumococcal diseasePneumococcal serotypesVaccine interventionsCommon causeImmune responseStudy populationAllelic variantsTarget antigenVaccineS. pneumoniae TIGR4Pneumococcal populationIntervention strategiesPCPADifferent allelic variants
2015
High multiple carriage and emergence of Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine serotype variants in Malawian children
Kamng’ona A, Hinds J, Bar-Zeev N, Gould KA, Chaguza C, Msefula C, Cornick JE, Kulohoma BW, Gray K, Bentley SD, French N, Heyderman RS, Everett DB. High multiple carriage and emergence of Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine serotype variants in Malawian children. BMC Infectious Diseases 2015, 15: 234. PMID: 26088623, PMCID: PMC4474563, DOI: 10.1186/s12879-015-0980-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentBacterial CapsulesBacteriological TechniquesChildChild, PreschoolCross ProtectionDNA, BacterialFemaleGenetic VariationHIV InfectionsHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalawiMaleNasopharynxOligonucleotide Array Sequence AnalysisPhylogenyPneumococcal InfectionsPneumococcal VaccinesSequence Analysis, DNASerogroupStreptococcus pneumoniaeConceptsPneumococcal carriageVaccine typesPneumococcal serotypesMalawian childrenMultiple carriageMultiple serotypesVaccine serotypes 6BInvasive pneumococcal diseaseMultiple pneumococcal serotypesCent of childrenYoung childrenVT serotypesPCV13 introductionPneumococcal diseaseNasopharyngeal samplesPossible genetic alterationsSerotypes 6BMethodsThe studyPneumococcal strainsVaccine escapeKaronga DistrictOlder childrenSterile swabsDistinct serotypesGenetic alterations