Increasing incidence of meningococcal disease in spain associated with a new variant of Serogroup C

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 85 - 89
• Main Authors: BERRON, S, DE LA FUENTE, L, MARTIN, E, VAZQUEZ, J. A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.02.1998; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the nervous system. Bacterial myositis; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Biological and medical sciences; Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; DNA, Ribosomal - analysis; Electrophoresis; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Enzymes - isolation & purification; Epidemics; Genetic variance; Genotype; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Incidence; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Meningitis; Meningitis, Meningococcal - epidemiology; Meningitis, Meningococcal - microbiology; Meningococcal Infections - epidemiology; Meningococcal Infections - microbiology; Neisseria meningitidis; Neisseria meningitidis - classification; Neisseria meningitidis - genetics; Neisseria meningitidis - isolation & purification; RNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Serotyping; Spain - epidemiology; Teenagers; Europe; Spain; Human; Prevalence; Typing; Genetic variant; Neisseriaceae; Neisseria meningitidis; Epidemiology; Incidence; Infection; Microbiological investigation; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Serotype; Meningococcal disease
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/bf01682161

Serogroup B has been the main cause of meningococcal disease in Spain since at least 1979, but in recent years an increase in the prevalence of infection due to serogroup C meningococci has been detected. In 1996, for the first time, most cases of meningococcal disease were caused by serogroup C strains. The sero/subtype of all serogroup C meningococci received from 1993 to June 1996 was determined, and the results showed that C:2b:P1.2,5, the most common phenotype in 1995 and 1996 (63% and 65%, respectively), represented only 4.8% of strains in 1993. The C:2b: P1.2,5 epidemic strains appear to be responsible for the high prevalence of serogroup C in Spain. One hundred fifty-one randomly selected serogroup C strains were analyzed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, ribotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis provided the most accurate information: more than 80% of the C:2b:P1.2,5 and C:2b:P1.2 isolates exhibited one of two very closely related profiles, while most of the C:2b:NST and C:2b:P1.5 strains had a pattern located at a genetic distance of 0.24 from those two profiles. The results show that C:2b:P1.2,5 strains represent a subclone or a genetic variant of the previously identified Spanish epidemic clone C:2b:non-subtypable strains.