Molecular characterization of invasive serogroup Y Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated in the Latin America region

• Published in: The Journal of infection 2009-08, Vol.59 (2), p.104-114
• Main Authors: Abad, Raquel, Agudelo, Clara I, Brandileone, M. Cristina, Chanto, Grettel, Gabastou, Jean Marc, Hormazabal, Juan Carlos, Cecilia O Gorla, M, Maldonado, Aurora, Moreno, Jaime, Muros-Le Rouzic, Erwan, Lersch, Robert, Regueira, Mabel, Salcedo, Celia, Sorhouet, Cecilia, Vázquez, Julio A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the nervous system. Bacterial myositis; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; DNA Fingerprinting; DNA sequencing; Female; General aspects; Genotype; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infant; Infectious Disease; Infectious diseases; Latin America - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Meningococcal Infections - epidemiology; Meningococcal Infections - microbiology; Meningococci; Middle Aged; Molecular characterization; Molecular Epidemiology; Neisseria meningitidis; Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup Y - classification; Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup Y - genetics; Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup Y - isolation & purification; Porins - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serogroup Y; Serotyping; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0163-4453; 1532-2742
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2009.06.001

Summary Objectives To improve the understanding of serogroup Y invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Latin America, particularly IMD molecular epidemiology; 166 Y serogroup isolates received at the National Reference Laboratories of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica during 2000–2006 were characterized by their molecular markers. Methods This analysis included serological assays to determine serogroup/serotype/serosubtype, DNA sequencing and genotyping of the porB and/or porA genes, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and fetA allele determination. Results Sixteen different antigenic combinations were observed. Sixty-two (37.3%) isolates were NT:P1.5 and 36 (21.7%) isolates were 14:NST. Thirty-two different STs appeared, but 3 STs (ST-1624, ST-23, and ST-5770) accounted for 69.9% (116) of the strains. Most of the IMD isolates belonged to the ST-23, ST-167 clonal complexes or the group composed by ST-5770 and related STs. Conclusions Isolates obtained in Colombia and Costa Rica were similar to that of the United States, in that most sequence types belonged to the ST-23 clonal complex. IMD isolates found in Argentina appear to be the result of an independent event and did not spread from nearby countries, being the sequence type ST-1624 (ST-167 clonal complex) the most frequently found. We were unable to correlate an antigenic shift of outer membrane proteins with an increase of serogroup Y meningococcal cases in our collection of isolates.