title: Molecular characterization of invasive serogroup Y Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated in the Latin America region.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To improve the understanding of serogroup Y invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Latin America, particularly IMD molecular epidemiology; 166 Y serogroup isolates received at the National Reference Laboratories of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica during 2000-2006 were characterized by their molecular markers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This analysis included serological assays to determine serogroup/serotype/serosubtype, DNA sequencing and genotyping of the porB and/or porA genes, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and fetA allele determination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen different antigenic combinations were observed. Sixty-two (37.3%) isolates were NT:P1.5 and 36 (21.7%) isolates were 14:NST. Thirty-two different STs appeared, but 3 STs (ST-1624, ST-23, and ST-5770) accounted for 69.9% (116) of the strains. Most of the IMD isolates belonged to the ST-23, ST-167 clonal complexes or the group composed by ST-5770 and related STs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Isolates obtained in Colombia and Costa Rica were similar to that of the United States, in that most sequence types belonged to the ST-23 clonal complex. IMD isolates found in Argentina appear to be the result of an independent event and did not spread from nearby countries, being the sequence type ST-1624 (ST-167 clonal complex) the most frequently found. We were unable to correlate an antigenic shift of outer membrane proteins with an increase of serogroup Y meningococcal cases in our collection of isolates.
authors: Reference Laboratory for Meningococci, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ctra Majadahonda-Pozuelo, Km2, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Raquel
authors: R
authors: Abad
authors: Clara I
authors: CI
authors: Agudelo
authors: M Cristina
authors: MC
authors: Brandileone
authors: Grettel
authors: G
authors: Chanto
authors: Jean Marc
authors: JM
authors: Gabastou
authors: Juan Carlos
authors: JC
authors: Hormazabal
authors: M Cecilia
authors: MC
authors: O Gorla
authors: Aurora
authors: A
authors: Maldonado
authors: Jaime
authors: J
authors: Moreno
authors: Erwan
authors: E
authors: Muros-Le Rouzic
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Lersch
authors: Mabel
authors: M
authors: Regueira
authors: Celia
authors: C
authors: Salcedo
authors: Cecilia
authors: C
authors: Sorhouet
authors: Julio A
authors: JA
authors: Vázquez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D038581:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup Y / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018272:Porins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C093120:FrpB protein, bacteria; D018272:Porins; C057699:porin protein, Neisseria