Case reportWhole-genome sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a forensic transmission case
Section snippets
Background
In the last decades, molecular epidemiology analyses have been applied to the study of virus transmission cases and outbreaks in forensic settings [[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]]. This methodology was introduced in the forensic field by Ou and colleagues [1], who demonstrated the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by a dentist to some of his patients. The first case in a criminal court was presented by Metzker and colleagues [4], whose evidence contributed to the conviction of a
N. gonorrhoeae culture and detection
The first case detected was a young girl who attended her ambulatory general pediatrician because of purulent vaginal secretions. In the Gram stain of the vaginal exudate, gram-negative cocci compatible with gonococcus were observed and cultivated after 48 h in blood and chocolate agar plates (bioMérieux, Marcy-l'Étoile, France) in a 5% CO2 enriched atmosphere. Species identification was performed by MALDI-TOF (Bruker Diagnostics, Germany). Candida albicans was also isolated in the vaginal
Results
The SpeI and NheI PFGE profiles of the suspect and the victim were indistinguishable (Table 1, Supplementary Fig. 1). Surprisingly, of the 12 control isolates studied, one apparently epidemiologically unrelated isolate showed a PFGE pattern with 100% similarity after restriction with both enzymes (isolate identified as local control 3, LC3). So, these three isolates along with two additional local control isolates showing high similarity with the PFGE patterns of the isolates under
Discussion
The use of molecular epidemiology to investigate cases of transmission in a forensic context has become increasingly frequent. Since the pioneering study by Ou and colleagues [1], the analyses have become more complex, both in the molecular technologies used to obtain the sequence information and in the ensuing bioinformatics, evolutionary and statistical methods applied to that information. Although this type of studies usually deals with deliberate or unintentional transmission of viruses,
Conclusions
Sexual abuses in children, particularly those occurring in the family setting, are a matter of concern for judicial authorities. The presence of a sexually transmitted infection can be used to support allegations of sexual abuse, but the particular significance of the identification of a sexually transmitted agent as an evidence of possible child sexual abuse varies by the type of pathogen. Postnatal acquired gonorrhea usually suggests some kind of sexual contact [47,48]. Although traditional
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by projects BFU2017-89594-R from MICINN (Spanish Government) and Prometeo2016-122 (Generalitat Valenciana). CFC benefits from an FPI predoctoral contract (BES-2015-074204) from MICINN (Spanish Government). The funding agencies had no role in design, development nor submission of this research for publication. HTS at FISABIO-Plataforma de Secuenciación used equipment co-funded by the EU, ERDF program for the Comunidad Valenciana 2014-2020.
References (50)
- et al.
Neisseria meningitidis W-135 in the Basque Country, northern Spain
Clin. Microbiol. Infect.
(2006) - et al.
Whole-genome sequencing to determine transmission of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: an observational study
Lancet Infect. Dis.
(2016) - et al.
Whole genome sequencing as a typing tool for foodborne pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes-the way towards global harmonisation and data exchange
Trends Food Sci. Technol.
(2018) - et al.
Advances in understanding bacterial pathogenesis gained from whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetics
Cell Host Microbe
(2016) - et al.
Molecular epidemiology of HIV transmission in a dental practice
Science
(1992) - et al.
Molecular analysis of human immunodeficiency virus strains associated with a case of criminal transmission of the virus
J. Infect. Dis.
(2000) - et al.
Molecular investigation of transmission of Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in a criminal case
Clin. Diagn. Lab. Immunol.
(2001) - et al.
Molecular evidence of HIV-1 transmission in a criminal case
Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
(2002) - et al.
Source identification in two criminal cases using phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 DNA sequences
Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
(2010) - et al.
Molecular evolution in court: analysis of a large hepatitis C virus outbreak from an evolving source
BMC Biol.
(2013)