title: Molecular typing of pneumococci for investigation of linked cases of invasive pneumococcal disease.
abstract: In winter 2007-2008, an outbreak of pediatric pneumonia caused by serotype 5 pneumococci was identified in a northeast London suburb. Variable number of tandem repeat analyses clustered these pneumococci from the other serotype 5 pneumococci in the United Kingdom, highlighting the importance of this discriminative typing method in supporting epidemiological investigations.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory & Systemic Infection Laboratory, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, United Kingdom. bruno.pichon@hpa.org.uk
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pichon
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moyce
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sheppard
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slack
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turbitt
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pebody
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krahé
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: George
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology / Q000379:methods; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification