title: PorA types in Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B isolated in Argentina from 2001 to 2003: implications for the design of an outer membrane protein-based vaccine.
abstract: Identification of Neisseria meningitidis PorA types remains important, as the PorA protein is a major immunogenic component of several meningococcal vaccines under development. In this study, 191 N. meningitidis serogroup B isolates collected in Argentina through active laboratory-based surveillance from 2001 to 2003 were serosubtyped. Nucleotide sequences of the porA variable region 1 (VR1) and VR2 regions were determined in 52 non-serosubtypeable isolates. A substantial number of distinct VR types were identified, and a new VR2 variant from the P1.16 family was described. This is the first report describing PorA types in N. meningitidis serogroup B isolates in Argentina. Furthermore, the wide diversity of subtypes detected by serosubtyping and genosubtyping reveals the difficulty in designing a useful outer-membrane vaccine applicable in this country. A possible mechanism responsible for altered PorA expression was analysed in two PorA types.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bacteriología, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas - ANLIS 'Dr Carlos G. Malbrán', Av. Velez Sarsfield 563, 1281 Buenos Aires, Argentina.|Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junin 956, 1113 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sorhouet Pereira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bacteriología, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas - ANLIS 'Dr Carlos G. Malbrán', Av. Velez Sarsfield 563, 1281 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mabel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Regueira
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junin 956, 1113 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mollerach
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D015195:Drug Design; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D038541:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D011159:Population Surveillance; D018272:Porins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D018272:Porins; C057699:porin protein, Neisseria