title: Potential capsule switching from serogroup Y to B: The characterization of three such Neisseria meningitidis isolates causing invasive meningococcal disease in Canada.
abstract: Three group B Neisseria meningitidis isolates, recovered from meningococcal disease cases in Canada and typed as B:2c:P1.5, were characterized. Multilocus sequence typing showed that all three isolates were related because of an identical sequence type (ST) 573. Isolates typed as 2c:P1.5 are common in serogroup Y meningococci but rare in isolates from serogroups B or C. Although no serogroup Y isolates have been typed as ST-573, eight isolates showed five to six housekeeping gene alleles that were identical to that of ST-573. This suggested that the B:2c:P1.5 isolates may have originated from serogroup Y organisms, possibly by capsule switching.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria and Vaccine Preventable Bacterial Diseases.
authors.forename: Raymond Sw
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: Dennis Ks
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Shaun D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: Gwen S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bigham
authors.forename: Wendell D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Zollinger