Sam Manna

Nasopharyngeal colonisation by Streptococcus pneumoniae enhances host anti-viral responses to respiratory virus infection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.10.693560v1

Great to see this finally out there!

Really great to be a part of this awesome resource!

SeroBA(v2.0) and SeroBAnk: a robust genome-based serotyping scheme and comprehensive atlas of capsular diversity in Streptococcus pneumoniae The unprecedented number of Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) genomes sequenced in recent years has accelerated the discovery of novel serotypes and highlighted the genetic diversity both be...

Do you need a #bioinformatic tool to detect almost all serotypes in #pneumococci?

The new SeroBA v2.0 can detect 102 of 107 known pneumococcal serotypes

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

SeroBA(v2.0) and SeroBAnk: a robust genome-based serotyping scheme and comprehensive atlas of capsular diversity in Streptococcus pneumoniae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.16.648953v1

They have different mutations and are different genetic lineages so definitely independent events

Together, we provide the requisite genetic, serological and biochemical evidence to support 33G-like be designated as a new serotype, which we have named 33H. So far, we have seen this new serotype in Mongolia and South Africa - very excited to see where else it might be!

Lastly, to confirm the lack of acetylation in the 33G-like capsule due to the loss of wciG, we conducted 1H NMR on the capsular polysaccharide, which showed that in contrast with 33G capsule, the 33G-like capsule lacks any acetyl residues.

To verify that inactivation of wciG was responsible for the change in the quellung result, we constructed an 'artificial 33G-like' by deleting wciG in a 33G strain. Indeed, this changed the quellung result from 10B and 33B to 10B and 33F.

We also conducted deep-sequencing and PCR from the nasopharyngeal swabs themselves to confirm the presence of the mutations in vivo (suggesting they were unlikely to have occurred during laboratory culture)

When we examined the capsule locus, the 33G-like capsule locus was identical to that of 33G except for one difference - all the 33G-like isolates had frameshift mutations in a capsule gene called wciG, which encodes an acetyltransferase.

During our pneumonia surveillance program in adults in Mongolia, we isolated pneumococcal variants in nasopharyngeal swabs that resembled serotype 33G. Where 33G yields the serotype result of 10B and 33B by quellung, these variants (which we called 33G-like) would give the result of 10B and 33F.

Very excited to unveil the latest serotype to join the #pneumococcus family - introducing you to serotype 33H (see thread below for summary) pneumonia.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Interested in a PhD focusing on Streptococcus pneumoniae or pyogenes? Our group is looking for new PhD students to join our lab! Apply here: career10.successfactors.com/sfcareer/job...

Update on the evolving landscape of pneumococcal capsule types: new discoveries and way forward - PubMed SUMMARY<i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> (the "pneumococcus") is a significant human pathogen. The key determinant of pneumococcal fitness and virulence is its ability to produce a protective polysaccha...

An up-to-date review on the evolving landscape of pneumococcal capsule
- seroepidemiology
-recently recognised novel serotypes
-mitis expressed pneumo capsule
-future research direction

#pneumococcus #vaccine #PCV #NahmLab led by @FerozeGanaie

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39878373/