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Period prevalence and case-fatality rate associated with distinctive clone complexes of Neisseria meningitidis

E S Jensen1, L Berthelsen, I Lind

  • 1Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aalborg Hospital, 2nd Floor, Stengade 10, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark. esjensen@dadlnet.dk

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
|August 13, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Certain Neisseria meningitidis strains, specifically B:15:P1.7,16 and C:2a:P1.2,5, show higher fatality rates. Three distinct clone complexes within these strains are linked to increased virulence and case-fatality in meningococcal disease.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis is a significant cause of bacterial meningitis.
  • Specific serogroups and phenotypes of N. meningitidis have been linked to increased disease severity and mortality.
  • A Danish survey identified B:15:P1.7,16 and C:2a:P1.2,5 phenotypes with higher case-fatality rates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic relatedness of virulent N. meningitidis strains.
  • To analyze temporal changes in the prevalence of specific clone complexes.
  • To determine if these clone complexes are associated with increased case-fatality rates.

Main Methods:

  • Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE) and ribotyping were used for strain characterization.
  • 181 invasive N. meningitidis strains from North Jutland County (1980-1999) were analyzed based on serological characteristics.
  • Electrophoretic types (ETs) and ribotypes were used to define clone complexes.

Main Results:

  • Two major electrophoretic type (ET) complexes were identified: ET-4/23 (including B:15:P1.7,16 strains) and ET-15/25 (including C:2a:P1.2,5 strains).
  • Three distinct clone complexes were identified within these major ET complexes.
  • All three identified clone complexes were associated with significantly increased case-fatality rates (13-20%) compared to other strains.

Conclusions:

  • Three specific clone complexes within Neisseria meningitidis B:15:P1.7,16 and C:2a:P1.2,5 strains demonstrate enhanced virulence.
  • These virulent clone complexes pose a greater risk for severe outcomes in meningococcal disease.
  • Understanding the genetic makeup of highly virulent meningococcal strains is crucial for public health interventions.

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