Intraclonal Variations Among Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates Influence the Likelihood of Invasive Disease in Children

Abstract

Pneumococcal clonal types but also intraclonal variants exhibited different invasive-disease potentials in children. Intraclonal variants, reflecting different prophage contents, showed differences in major surface antigens. This suggests ongoing immune selection, such as that due to PspC-mediated complement resistance through varied human factor H binding, that may affect invasiveness in children.