title: Serotypes and subtypes of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B strains associated with meningococcal disease in Canada, 1977-1989.
abstract: Typing of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B disease isolates was carried out using a panel of serotype-and subtype-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Three hundred and sixty-two strains isolated from 1977 to 1986 were typed using five serotyping and seven subtyping reagents and outer membrane vesicles as antigens. Serotype 2b accounted for 30% of the disease isolates. The most common subtype was P1.2, which occurred on 18.5% of all strains or 48.6% of the serotype 2b strains. Of the 362 strains typed, 135 (37.3%) were serotyped and 122 (33.7%) were subtyped. Overall, 185 (51.1%) of the strains could be assigned a serotype and (or) subtype. Strains (221) isolated during the years 1987-1989 were typed using a panel of 6 serotyping and 12 subtyping reagents by whole-cell ELISA. Strains of serotypes 4 (21.7%) and 15 (20.8%) were the most common and carried a wide variety of subtypes. The most common subtypes were P1.2 (11.8%) and P1.16 (9.5%). Of the 221 strains analyzed, 132 (59.7%) were assigned a serotype and 123 (55.7%) a subtype and with all 18 MAbs, 192 (86.9%) of the strains were serotyped and (or) subtyped. Two different MAbs to the four epitopes 2a, 15, P1.2, and P1.16 gave discordant reactions of 0.3, 6.6, 2.6, and 2.2%, respectively, when used to analyze over 300 strains of N. meningitidis.
authors.affiliation: National Laboratory for Bacteriology, Bureau of Microbiology, Ottawa, Ont., Canada.
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mancino
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Poolman
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdillahi
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Zollinger
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006801:Humans; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000382:microbiology*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification*; D012703:Serotyping