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Neisseria meningitidis C:2b:P1.2,5 with intermediate resistance to penicillin, Portugal

Manuela Caniça1, Ricardo Dias, Eugénia Ferreira

  • 1Antibiotic Resistance Unit, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Av. Padro Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal. manuela.canica@insa.min-saude.pt

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|April 28, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Meningococcal disease surveillance in Portugal identified common B:4:P1.15 and C:2b:P1.2,5 strains. Over a quarter of C:2b:P1.2,5 strains showed penicillin resistance, informing public health strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) is a significant cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis.
  • Understanding the circulating strains and their antimicrobial susceptibility is crucial for effective disease prevention and control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the serogroup, serotype, serosubtype, and penicillin susceptibility of meningococci in Portugal.
  • To provide data for assessing the effectiveness of public health interventions against meningococcal disease.

Main Methods:

  • Laboratory-based surveillance of meningococcal isolates over a 1-year period.
  • Phenotypic characterization including serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing for penicillin.

Main Results:

  • The most frequent meningococcal phenotypes identified were B:4:P1.15 (13.4%) and C:2b:P1.2,5 (75.9%).
  • These prevalent strains are also commonly found in Spain.
  • Intermediate resistance to penicillin was observed in 27.5% of the C:2b:P1.2,5 strains.

Conclusions:

  • The study highlights the dominant meningococcal strains circulating in Portugal.
  • The observed penicillin resistance in a significant proportion of C:2b:P1.2,5 strains warrants attention for treatment guidelines.
  • Ongoing laboratory-based surveillance is vital for monitoring meningococcal epidemiology and informing public health policy.

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