title: [Molecular typing of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strains with pulsed field gel electrophoresis in China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the characteristics of epidemiology and molecular typing on Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strains associated with outbreaks of Anhui province and sporadic cases in China, using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
  
  
  METHODS
  212 Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strains were isolated from invasive meningococcal cases, close contacts and healthy carriers, including 48 strains from Anhui province with 38 strains associated with serogroup C outbreaks. PFGE were performed by genomic DNA digestion with Nhe I restriction enzyme. The results of PFGE were analyzed by BioNumerics software (Version 4.0, Applied Maths BVBA, Belgium).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total number of 212 Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C isolates were typed by 43 patterns, named AH1 to AH43. In China, AH1 pattern was the major PFGE pattern with 69.3% (n = 147) of all strains, distributed in 11 provinces. Three types of PFGE patterns (AH1 to AH3) were found in 48 strains from Anhui province, in which, 93.8% (n = 45) belonged to AH1. 97.4% (n = 37) of 38 strains associated with serogroup C outbreaks in Anhui province showed AH1 pattern. A total of 53 serogroup C strains were isolated from invasive meningococcal cases with 67.9% (36/53) of AH pattern. 71.9% (87/121) of serogroup C strains isolated from contacts of invasive meningococcal cases was AH1 pattern and 63.2% (24/38) of the strains from healthy carriers showed AH1 pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By PFGE typing and analysis, AH1 pattern of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strains was proved to be the main clone which causing the outbreaks in Anhui province and might be responsible for the sporadic serogroup C meningococcal disease epidemics else where in the country.
authors: National Institute of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
authors: Zhu-Jun
authors: ZJ
authors: Shao
authors: Hong-Yu
authors: HY
authors: Ren
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Xu
authors: Bao-Wei
authors: BW
authors: Diao
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Li
authors: Ma-Chao
authors: MC
authors: Li
authors: Zhi-Gang
authors: ZG
authors: Cui
authors: Xiao-Feng
authors: XF
authors: Liang
authors: Yi-Xing
authors: YX
authors: Li
authors: Dan-Qing
authors: DQ
authors: Liu
authors: Meng
authors: M
authors: Yang
authors: Tie-Gang
authors: TG
authors: Zhang
authors: Man-Shi
authors: MS
authors: Li
authors: Jian-Guo
authors: JG
authors: Xu
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D038542:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup C / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial