Antimeningococcal herd immunity in the Czech Republic--influence of an emerging clone, Neisseria meningitidis ET-15/37.
For many years, invasive meningococcal disease in the Czech Republic occurred sporadically and was caused mainly by meningococci of serogroup B. In 1993, when a new clone (ET-15/37) emerged, the only phenotype found was C:2a:P1.2,5. In 1995, an antigenic variation of the ET-15/37 clone, B:2a:P1.2,5, occurred. The results of immunological surveys conducted in 1989 and 1996 were compared. A significantly higher proportion of 1996 sera than those collected in 1989 showed bactericidal antibodies against N. meningitidis B:2a:P1.2,5 (19.7 vs. 5.1%) and N. meningitidis C:2a:P1.2,5 (15.9 vs. 7.4%), consistent with increased herd immunity due to the spread of the new clone in the Czech Republic. There were differences in the age distribution of the positive sera.
Kriz
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P
National Reference Laboratory for Meningococcal Infections, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic.
Kriz
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B
Svandova
E
E
Musilek
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002353:Carrier State; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007223:Infant; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial