Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of clonal relationships among Neisseria meningitidis A strains from different outbreaks

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases Vol. 16; no. 7; pp. 541 - 544
• Main Authors: NICOLAS, P, PARZY, D, MARTET, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.07.1997
• Subjects: Africa - epidemiology; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Clone Cells - classification; Disease Outbreaks; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Meningitis, Meningococcal - epidemiology; Meningitis, Meningococcal - microbiology; Meningococcal Infections - epidemiology; Meningococcal Infections - microbiology; Microbiology; Neisseria meningitidis - classification; Neisseria meningitidis - genetics; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Serotyping; Tropical medicine; Africa; Epidemic; Pulsed field electrophoresis; Microbiological investigation; Typing; Gel electrophoresis; Fingerprint method; Neisseriaceae; Pathogen strain; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Neisseria meningitidis; Epidemiology
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01708241

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the DNA of 67 Neisseria meningitidis A strains from five African outbreaks occurring between 1988 and 1996. Endonuclease Bg/II was used to cut chromosomal DNA, generating 19 analyzable fragments. This technique allowed comparison of clonal relationships between outbreak strains and revealed that the same pulsotype was responsible for the outbreaks. This pulsotype is closely related to strain B54, subgroup III reference strain, Finland, 1975, showing only two fragment differences.