title: Outbreaks of meningococcal B infection and the 4CMenB vaccine: historical and future perspectives.
abstract: Strains of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB) causing invasive meningococcal disease are genetically diverse; however, only a small number of hyperinvasive lineages (CC32, CC41/44, CC269 and CC162) have dominated during the global spread over the past 50 years. Since the mid-1970s, major outbreaks and hyperendemic disease have been reported in Norway, Cuba, France, Canada, New Zealand (and elsewhere), most recently in the USA. We characterized the epidemiology of these MenB outbreaks and their associated clonal complexes and retrospectively assessed the potential coverage offered by the 4CMenB vaccine, a four-component vaccine developed to help confer protection against a broad range of meningococcal B strains causing disease. Of 21 isolates from four clonal complexes evaluated using both human Serum Bactericidal Assay and the Meningococcal Antigen Testing System, coverage ranged from 67 to 100%. 4CMenB shows good potential as a candidate vaccine to be used in the control of new MenB outbreaks globally.
authors.affiliation: Novartis Pharma BV, Hullenbergweg 83-85, 1100 DM Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Whelan
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bambini
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biolchi
authors.forename: Brunella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brunelli
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robert-Du Ry van Beest Holle
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D014943:Global Health; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D038541:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: C570015:4CMenB vaccine; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines
keywords: 4CMenB; Neisseria meningitidis, serogroup B; coverage; epidemiology; invasive meningococcal disease; outbreaks; vaccine