title: Invasive meningococcal disease in Quebec, Canada, due to an emerging clone of ST-269 serogroup B meningococci with serotype antigen 17 and serosubtype antigen P1.19 (B:17:P1.19).
abstract: During periods of endemic meningococcal disease, serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis is responsible for a significant percentage of invasive diseases, and no particular clone or strain predominates (F. E. Ashton and D. A. Caugant, Can. J. Microbiol. 47: 293-289, 2001), However, in the winter of 2004 to 2005, a cluster of serogroup B meningococcal disease occurred in one region in the province of Québec, Canada. The N. meningitidis strain responsible for this cluster of cases was identified as sequence type ST-269 with the antigenic formula B:17:P1.19. Retrospective analysis of isolates from 2000 onwards showed that this clone first emerged in the province of Québec in 2003. The emergence of this clone of serogroup B meningococci occurred after a mass vaccination against serogroup C N. meningitidis, suggesting possible capsule replacement.
authors.affiliation: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Dennis K S
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lorange
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ringuette
authors.forename: Réjean
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dion
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giguère
authors.forename: Averil M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stoltz
authors.forename: Wendell D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Zollinger
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Wals
authors.forename: Raymond S W
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tsang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D038541:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial