Molecular Epidemiology of Serogroup A Meningitis in Moscow, 1969 to 1997

• Main Authors: Mark Achtman, Arie van der Ende, Peixuan Zhu, Irina S. Koroleva, Barica Kusecek, Giovanna Morelli, Ilse G.A. Schuurman, Norbert Brieske, Kerstin Zurth, Natalya N. Kostyukova, Alexander E. Platonov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2001-06-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: epidemic waves; Neisseria meningitidis; clonal grouping; genetic diversity; fine typing; multilocus sequence typing
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/3/01-7309_article
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059

Molecular analysis of 103 serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated in Moscow from 1969 to 1997 showed that four independent clonal groupings were responsible for successive waves of meningococcal disease. An epidemic from 1969 to the mid-1970s was caused by genocloud 2 of subgroup III, possibly imported from China. Subsequent endemic disease through the early 1990s was caused by subgroup X and then by subgroup VI, which has also caused endemic disease elsewhere in Eastern Europe. A 1996 epidemic was part of the pandemic spread from Asia of genocloud 8 of subgroup III. Recent genocloud 8 epidemic disease in Moscow may represent an early warning for spread of these bacteria to other countries in Europe.