Outbreak strain characterisation and pharyngeal carriage detection following a protracted group B meningococcal outbreak in adolescents in South-West England

Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 10;9(1):9990. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-46483-3.

Abstract

Between April 2016 and September 2017, four cases of group B meningococcal disease were reported among sixth-form college students in Bristol, UK. Culture and non-culture whole genome sequencing was utilised and demonstrated that the four genomes of the responsible ST-41 strains clustered closely on a sub-lineage of ST-41/44 clonal complex. The outbreak resulted in two fatalities. A distinct social group associated with one of the cases was selected for vaccination with 4CMenB and pharyngeal swabbing. In vitro culturing, multiple real-time PCR assays (sodC, ctrA and siaDB) and a PorA PCR-sequencing assay were used to detect meningococcal colonisation and a carriage rate of 32.6% was observed. Furthermore, a high proportion of the pharyngeal swabs (78.3%) yielded a Factor H-Binding Protein (fHbp) nucleotide allele suggesting that the antigenic gene is prevalent among non-meningococcal flora, most likely Neisseria commensals. This may have implications for fHbp as a vaccine antigen should it be shown to influence bacterial colonisation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Antigens, Bacterial / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacteriological Techniques
  • Carrier State / epidemiology*
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • England
  • Humans
  • Meningococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • Meningococcal Vaccines / administration & dosage*
  • Meningococcal Vaccines / immunology
  • Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / classification*
  • Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / genetics
  • Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / isolation & purification
  • Pharynx / microbiology*
  • Phylogeny
  • Porins / genetics
  • Whole Genome Sequencing / methods

Substances

  • 4CMenB vaccine
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Meningococcal Vaccines
  • Porins
  • factor H-binding protein, Neisseria meningitidis
  • porin protein, Neisseria