Genetic population structure of Haemophilus influenzae at local and global scales
Issued Date
2025-01-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20585276
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105020288997
Journal Title
Nature Microbiology
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Nature Microbiology (2025)
Suggested Citation
MacAlasdair N., Pöntinen A.K., Ling C., Mallawaarachchi S., Thaipadungpanit J., Nosten F.H., Turner C., Bentley S.D., Croucher N.J., Turner P., Corander J. Genetic population structure of Haemophilus influenzae at local and global scales. Nature Microbiology (2025). doi:10.1038/s41564-025-02171-9 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/112924
Title
Genetic population structure of Haemophilus influenzae at local and global scales
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Haemophilus influenzae is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that causes both non-invasive and invasive disease in humans. Although the H. influenzae type b vaccine can reduce invasive disease, it is not effective against non-b serotypes or unencapsulated non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi). The genetic population structure of H. influenzae, especially NTHi, which is typically prevalent in lower- and middle-income countries, is unclear. Here we whole-genome sequenced 4,474 isolates of H. influenzae from an unvaccinated paediatric carriage and pneumonia cohort from the Maela camp for displaced persons in northwestern Thailand. Despite no H. influenzae type b immunization, serotype b was uncommon, whereas 92.4% of the isolates were NTHi. Most multidrug-resistant lineages were NTHi, and there were no lineages enriched among disease samples. Incorporating 5,976 published genomes revealed a highly admixed population structure, low core genome nucleotide diversity and evidence of pervasive negative selection. Our findings expand our understanding of this major pathogen in lower- and middle-income countries and at a global scale.