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Identification of a new Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C clone from Anhui province, China

Zhujun Shao1, Wei Li, Jun Ren

  • 1National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), PO Box 5, Changping, Beijing 102206, China.

Lancet (London, England)
|February 7, 2006
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

A new strain of serogroup C meningococcal disease, sequence type 4821 (ST-4821), caused meningitis outbreaks in China. This unique bacterial lineage emerged in Anhui province and requires monitoring for potential global spread.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Outbreaks of serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis occurred in Anhui province, China, during 2003-2005.
  • These outbreaks involved significant case numbers and highlighted a novel disease emergence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis strains causing outbreaks in Anhui province.
  • To characterize the genetic features of the causative bacterial isolates.

Main Methods:

  • Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for strain typing.
  • Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was employed to determine genetic relatedness and identify sequence types.

Main Results:

  • A significant proportion of isolates from Anhui province during 2003-2005 were identified as serogroup C meningococci.
  • PFGE analysis revealed a predominant pattern (AH1) among serogroup C strains.
  • MLST identified a novel sequence type, ST-4821, in a majority of the analyzed serogroup C strains, suggesting a hypervirulent lineage.

Conclusions:

  • Sequence type 4821 (ST-4821) is identified as the likely cause of the serogroup C meningitis outbreaks in Anhui province.
  • The emergence of ST-4821 is of significant epidemiological importance and warrants surveillance for future dissemination within China and globally.

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