In this study, we identified a large number of candidate phages integrated in the genomes of commensal and pathogenic Neisseria species, many of which appear to be novel phages. In particular, few bacteriophages (phages) are known to infect Neisseria species.

Therefore, it is important to understand both the diversity of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that can mediate horizontal gene transfer within this genus and the breadth of species these MGEs can infect. Commensal Neisseria species are thought to serve as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes for the pathogenic species N. IMPORTANCE Drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major threat to human health. These findings have important implications for understanding horizontal gene transfer between members of this genus. Together, our results suggest that we have identified novel Neisseria prophages, several of which may infect multiple Neisseria species. We then used these results to infer additional host species of known Neisseria prophages and predictions that are highly targeted relative to the backbone. Furthermore, many predicted prophages are targeted by CRISPR spacers encoded by other species. While CRISPR targeting of chromosomal DNA appears to be common among several Neisseria species, we found that 20% of the prophages we predicted are targeted significantly more than the rest of the bacterial genome in which they were identified (i.e., backbone). Additionally, we examined CRISPR-Cas targeting of each Neisseria genome and predicted prophage. We also identified similar predicted prophages in genomes of different Neisseria species. Using comparative genomics, we found that many predictions are dissimilar from prophages and other MGEs previously described to infect Neisseria species. In this study, we used three virus prediction tools to scan 248 genomes of 21 different Neisseria species and identified 1,302 unique predicted prophages.

Furthermore, little is known about the range of species that Neisseria phages can infect. Few Neisseria bacteriophages (phages) have been identified, and their impact on bacterial physiology is poorly understood. Neisseria species frequently exchange DNA with one another, primarily via transformation and homologous recombination and via multiple types of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). meningitidis, and numerous commensal species. The genus Neisseria includes two pathogenic species, N.

On A Life's Edge by J.L. Whitaker