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Vaccine preventability of meningococcal clone, Greater Aachen Region, Germany

Johannes Elias1, Leo M Schouls, Ingrid van de Pol

  • 1University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany. jelias@hygiene.uni-wuerzburg.de

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|March 6, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreaks, caused by a specific clone (ST 41/44), can be controlled. This slow-spreading strain, responsible for increased incidence in Germany and the Netherlands, is vaccine-preventable.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Serogroup B meningococci, particularly clonal complex sequence type (ST) 41/44, are associated with significant disease burdens.
  • A notable increase in meningococcal disease incidence was observed in the Greater Aachen region of Germany.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the source and characteristics of the meningococcal disease outbreak in the Greater Aachen region.
  • To analyze the molecular epidemiology and geographic spread of ST 41/44 strains.

Main Methods:

  • Molecular typing techniques, including multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA).
  • Geographic mapping of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases.
  • Analysis of 1,143 Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated between 2001 and 2006.

Main Results:

  • A specific clone, identified as MLVA type 19, ST 42, with antigenic profile B:P1.7-2,4:F1-5, was identified as the cause of the outbreak.
  • This clone exhibited slow spatial dissemination across German federal states and the Netherlands.
  • Serum samples from New Zealand's MeNZB vaccination campaign demonstrated bactericidal activity against the identified strain, confirming vaccine preventability.

Conclusions:

  • The identified ST 41/44 clone is a significant driver of meningococcal disease in the studied region.
  • The slow spread of this epidemic strain suggests that targeted vaccination strategies could potentially eliminate meningococcal disease in affected areas.

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