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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2005, p. 144-149, Vol. 43, No. 1
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.1.144-149.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Interlaboratory Comparison of PCR-Based Identification and Genogrouping of Neisseria meningitidis

Neisseria Unit and the French National Reference Center for Meningococci, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France,¹ Irish Meningococcal and Meningitis Reference Laboratory, The Children's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland,² WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Meningococci, Division of Infectious Disease Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health,³ Institute of Oral Biology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,⁴ Scottish Meningococcus and Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, Stobhill Hospital,⁵ Division of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow,⁶ Meningococcal Reference Unit, Health Protection Agency, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, United Kingdom,⁷ Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, National Reference Center for Meningococci, University of Würzburg, Germany,⁸ National Reference Centre for Meningococci, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Graz, Austria,⁹ National Reference Laboratory for Meningococcal Infections, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic,¹⁰ National Meningococcal Reference Laboratory, NIPH, Athens, Greece,¹¹ National Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden,¹² Centre Muraz, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso,¹³

Received 1 June 2004/ Returned for modification 19 July 2004/ Accepted 31 August 2004

Twenty clinical samples (18 cerebrospinal fluid samples and 2 articular fluid samples) were sent to 11 meningococcus reference centers located in 11 different countries. Ten of these laboratories are participating in the EU-MenNet program (a European Union-funded program) and are members of the European Monitoring Group on Meningococci. The remaining laboratory was located in Burkina Faso. Neisseria meningitidis was sought by detecting several meningococcus-specific genes (crgA, ctrA, 16S rRNA, and porA). The PCR-based nonculture method for the detection of N. meningitidis gave similar results between participants with a mean sensitivity and specificity of 89.7 and 92.7%, respectively. Most of the laboratories also performed genogrouping assays (siaD and mynB/sacC). The performance of genogrouping was more variable between laboratories, with a mean sensitivity of 72.7%. Genogroup B gave the best correlation between participants, as all laboratories routinely perform this PCR. The results for genogroups A and W135 were less similar between the eight participating laboratories that performed these PCRs.

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