Marirosa Mora

TL;DR: The genomic sequence of six strains representing the five major disease-causing serotypes of Streptococcus agalactiae, the main cause of neonatal infection in humans, was generated and Mathematical extrapolation of the data suggests that the gene reservoir available for inclusion in the S. agalactic pan-genome is vast and that unique genes will continue to be identified even after sequencing hundreds of genomes.

TL;DR: The entire genome sequence of a virulent serogroup B strain was used to identify vaccine candidates and allowed the identification of proteins that are surface exposed, that are conserved in sequence across a range of strains, and that induce a bactericidal antibody response, a property known to correlate with vaccine efficacy in humans.

TL;DR: Multigenome analysis and screening described here represent a powerful strategy for identifying potential vaccine candidates against highly variable pathogens.

TL;DR: In silico analyses, combined with comparative genome hybridization experiments between the sequenced serotype V strain 2603 V/R and 19 S. agalactiae strains from several serotypes using whole-genome microarrays, revealed the genetic heterogeneity among S. agriculture, provided insights into the evolution of virulence mechanisms.

TL;DR: A proteomic approach for identifying bacterial surface-exposed proteins quickly and reliably for their use as vaccine candidates overcomes the difficulties so far encountered in surface protein characterization and has great potential in vaccine discovery.