Genomic resolution of an aggressive, widespread, diverse and expanding meningococcal serogroup B, C and W lineage

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Lucidarme J., Hill D. M. C., Bratcher H. B., Gray S. J., du Plessis M., Tsang R. S. W., ...More

JOURNAL OF INFECTION, vol.71, no.5, pp.544-552, 2015 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 71 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.jinf.2015.07.007
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF INFECTION
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.544-552
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Objectives: Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of meningitis and septicaemia. The hyperinvasive ST-11 clonal complex (cc11) caused serogroup C (MenC) outbreaks in the US military in the 1960s and UK universities in the 1990s, a global Hajj-associated serogroup W (MenW) outbreak in 2000-2001, and subsequent MenW epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. More recently, endemic MenW disease has expanded in South Africa, South America and the UK, and MenC cases have been reported among European and North American men who have sex with men (MSM). Routine typing schemes poorly resolve cc11 so we established the population structure at genomic resolution.