Neisseria meningitidis
BacteriologyMeningococcal Deduced Vaccine Antigen Reactivity (MenDeVAR) Index: a Rapid and Accessible Tool That Exploits Genomic Data in Public Health and Clinical Microbiology ApplicationsAs microbial genomics makes increasingly important contributions to clinical and public health microbiology, the interpretation of whole-genome sequence data by nonspecialists becomes essential. In the absence of capsule-based vaccines, two protein-based vaccines have been used for the prevention of invasive serogroup B meningococcal disease (IMD) since their licensure in 2013 and 2014. These vaccines have different components and...
EpidemiologyFull Molecular Typing of Neisseria meningitidis Directly from Clinical Specimens for Outbreak InvestigationNeisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis worldwide and an occasional cause of meningococcal urethritis. When isolates are unavailable for surveillance or outbreak investigations, molecular characterization of pathogens needs to be performed directly from clinical specimens, such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, or urine. However...
BacteriologyValidation of a New Rapid Detection Test for Detection of Neisseria meningitidis A/C/W/X/Y Antigens in Cerebrospinal FluidMeningococcal meningitis remains a life-threatening disease worldwide, with high prevalence in the sub-Saharan meningitis belt. A rapid diagnosis is crucial for implementing adapted antimicrobial treatment. We describe the performances of a new immunochromatographic test (MeningoSpeed, BioSpeedia, France) for detecting and grouping Neisseria meningitidis....
BacteriologyReconstruction of Dispersal Patterns of Hypervirulent Meningococcal Strains of Serogroup C:cc11 by Phylogenomic Time TreesNeisseria meningitidis is one of the few commensal bacteria that can even cause large epidemics of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). N. meningitis serogroup C belonging to the hypervirulent clonal complex 11 (cc11) represents an important public health threat worldwide. We reconstructed the dispersal patterns of hypervirulent meningococcal strains of...
BacteriologyWhole-Genome Sequencing for Characterization of Capsule Locus and Prediction of Serogroup of Invasive Meningococcal IsolatesInvasive meningococcal disease is mainly caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, B, C, X, W, and Y. The serogroup is typically determined by slide agglutination serogrouping (SASG) and real-time PCR (RT-PCR).
