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Cluster of serogroup W135 meningococci, southeastern Florida, 2008-2009

Timothy J Doyle1, Alvaro Mejia-Echeverry, Paul Fiorella

  • 1Department of Health, Miami, Florida, USA. tdoyle@cdc.gov

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|December 25, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Fourteen individuals in Florida were diagnosed with Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 infections. Epidemiologic data suggest this specific bacterial strain has been circulating locally.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis is a significant cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis.
  • Serogroup W135 (MenW) invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) can lead to severe outcomes.
  • Understanding local transmission patterns is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate an outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 invasive infections in southeastern Florida.
  • To characterize the genetic relatedness of the identified isolates.
  • To determine the likely source and transmission dynamics of the infections.

Main Methods:

  • Case identification and data collection from affected individuals in southeastern Florida.
  • Microbiological analysis of Neisseria meningitidis isolates.
  • Molecular typing techniques, including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST).

Main Results:

  • Fourteen cases of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 invasive infections were identified.
  • All isolates exhibited matching or near-matching PFGE patterns.
  • The isolates belonged to the multilocus sequence type 11 clonal complex (ST-11 CC).

Conclusions:

  • The findings indicate a recent emergence and endemic transmission of the ST-11 CC Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 in southeastern Florida.
  • Molecular data support a common source or clonal spread among the identified cases.
  • Public health surveillance and targeted interventions are warranted to control further spread.

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