Increasing incidence of meningococcal disease in Spain associated with a new variant of serogroup C.
Serogroup B has been the main cause of meningococcal disease in Spain since at least 1979, but in recent years an increase in the prevalence of infection due to serogroup C meningococci has been detected. In 1996, for the first time, most cases of meningococcal disease were caused by serogroup C strains. The sero/subtype of all serogroup C meningococci received from 1993 to June 1996 was determined, and the results showed that C:2b:P1.2,5, the most common phenotype in 1995 and 1996 (63% and 65%, respectively), represented only 4.8% of strains in 1993. The C:2b: P1.2,5 epidemic strains appear to be responsible for the high prevalence of serogroup C in Spain. One hundred fifty-one randomly selected serogroup C strains were analyzed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, ribotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis provided the most accurate information: more than 80% of the C:2b:P1.2,5 and C:2b:P1.2 isolates exhibited one of two very closely related profiles, while most of the C:2b:NST and C:2b:P1.5 strains had a pattern located at a genetic distance of 0.24 from those two profiles. The results show that C:2b:P1.2,5 strains represent a subclone or a genetic variant of the previously identified Spanish epidemic clone C:2b:non-subtypable strains.
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Laboratorio de Referencia de Meningococos-Servicio de Bacteriología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda (Madrid), Spain.
De La Fuente
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Martín
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Vázquez
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D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004798:Enzymes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D012703:Serotyping; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D004798:Enzymes; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific