title: Molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a university community.
abstract: Over a 2-month period, five cases of serogroup C meningococcal disease occurred in Iowa City, Iowa. Two patients were unacquainted university students who had independently visited another university with endemic meningococcal disease. Isolates from these patients had DNA fingerprints identical to those of the isolates responsible for infections on the other campus. Three cases for which the patients' isolates had a different DNA fingerprint were linked to visiting a local tavern. To disrupt the outbreak, the University of Iowa offered free meningococcal vaccine to all students. This report demonstrates that outbreaks of meningococcal disease may be due to more than one circulating strain and illustrates the utility of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in defining the molecular epidemiology of meningococcal infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Edmond
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hollis
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Houston
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Wenzel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012703:Serotyping; D014495:Universities
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial