Comparison of clonal analysis and DNA restriction analysis for typing of Neisseria meningitidis

We have formerly described a clonal analysis of 423 serogroup A isolates of Neisseria meningitidis which distinguished 21 clones and 34 electrophoretic types. The clones were found to be uniform within distinct epidemiological situations and distinct between different sets of epidemics. Strains representative of the 34 electrophoretic types have now been analyzed by restriction endonuclease digestion of their genomic DNA's. The results correlated partially with the clonal assignments; the discrepancies were epidemiologically more consistent with the interpretation of the clonal analysis than with that of the restriction endonuclease analysis.