Molecular epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis

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Ulrich Vogel1, Heike Claus

  • 1Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University of W rzburg, Germany. uvogel@hygiene.uni-wuerzburg.de

Frontiers in Bioscience : a Journal and Virtual Library
|November 29, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Molecular epidemiology advances, including multi locus sequence typing, enhance Neisseria meningitidis surveillance. DNA sequencing of the porA gene replaces serotyping, enabling rapid identification of emerging meningococcal clones.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis causes significant human disease burden.
  • Meningococcal typing is crucial for epidemiological surveillance.
  • Genetic variability, driven by horizontal gene exchange, is exploited for typing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail advances in molecular epidemiology for Neisseria meningitidis.
  • To highlight the shift from traditional typing methods to DNA sequencing.
  • To describe the establishment of an international network for rapid clone identification.

Main Methods:

  • Development and application of multi locus sequence typing (MLST) for Neisseria meningitidis.
  • DNA sequencing of variable regions of the porA gene to overcome limitations of serotyping.
  • Utilizing sequence data to characterize meningococcal population structure in carriage and disease.

Main Results:

  • Multi locus sequence typing has become the gold standard for meningococcal typing, replacing multi locus enzyme electrophoresis.
  • DNA sequencing of the porA gene is replacing serotyping due to rapid emergence of new porin variants.
  • Sequence data analysis has characterized meningococcal population structure.
  • An interactive international network facilitates rapid identification of emerging clones.

Conclusions:

  • Advances in molecular epidemiology and data sharing have revolutionized Neisseria meningitidis surveillance.
  • The established network enables swift detection of newly emerging meningococcal clones.
  • This approach enhances the ability to monitor and control meningococcal disease outbreaks.

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