{
  "abstract": "Reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is primarily mediated by structural alterations in penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2), encoded by penA, frequently arising through interspecies recombination with commensal Neisseria. While mosaic penA diversity has been extensively characterized in coccoid Neisseria species, rod-shaped commensals such as Neisseria bacilliformis remain poorly explored. Here, we investigated the β-lactam target repertoire of N. bacilliformis using whole-genome sequencing, comparative genomics, mutation profiling, and structural modeling. Fifteen N. bacilliformis genomes were analyzed, including eight isolates with elevated ceftriaxone minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) (range 0.094–1 µg/mL; median 0.5 µg/mL). Interrogation of the PubMLST locus NEIS1753 did not identify matches under default parameters. However, de novo annotation revealed a syntenic high-molecular-mass transpeptidase annotated as ftsI, occupying the conserved rsmH-ftsL-ftsI-murE chromosomal context observed in N. gonorrhoeae. BLASTP analysis demonstrated ~59%–61% amino-acid identity to gonococcal PBP2. Structural modeling using AlphaFold and template-based approaches confirmed preservation of the canonical class B penicillin-binding protein fold, including conserved catalytic motifs. Across 24 positions previously associated with altered cephalosporin susceptibility in gonococci, multiple canonical substitutions were conserved in N. bacilliformis, alongside lineage-specific variants not reported in N. gonorrhoeae. Interestingly, polymorphism at positions A328 and A341 was observed in isolates with higher MICs (1 µg/mL). Definitive genotype-phenotype associations could not be established. Recombination analysis did not identify discrete parental donors but suggested a complex evolutionary history. These findings demonstrate that N. bacilliformis encodes a structurally conserved PBP2 homolog annotated as FtsI and expand the landscape of β-lactam target diversity within the genus Neisseria.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium",
    "Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Faculty of Nursing, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan",
    "Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sheeba Santhini Manoharan-Basil",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8421-5137"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tessa de Block"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Izumo Kanesaka",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5918-2297"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Saïd Abdellati"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Thibaut Vanbaelen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Chris Kenyon",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2557-8998"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9d7ge7z4rcavg.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1128/aac.00392-26",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13713004/",
  "id": "9d7ge7z4rcavg",
  "issns": [
    "0066-4804",
    "1098-6596"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aac.00392-26",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Mechanisms of Resistance"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1313|Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7170161471",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13713004",
  "pmid": "42489691",
  "published": "2026-07-23",
  "publisher": "American Society for Microbiology (ASM)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9d7ge7z4rcavg.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:28Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713004",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aac.00392-26"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:1313|Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Extension of penA diversity within the genus Neisseria: characterization of a penA/ftsI homolog in Neisseria bacilliformis associated with elevated ceftriaxone MICs",
  "title_text": "Extension of penA diversity within the genus Neisseria: characterization of a penA/ftsI homolog in Neisseria bacilliformis associated with elevated ceftriaxone MICs",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:28Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9d7ge7z4rcavg",
  "venue": "Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy",
  "versions": []
}