Molecular biological monitoring of Neisseria meningitidis in Moscow in the period 2011 to 2015
Objective. To estimate serogroup distribution and to characterize the genetic properties of N. meningitidis that caused generalized meningococcal infections (GMIs) in Moscow in the period 2011 to 2015. Material and methods. 253 biological samples from patients with GMIs were examined. The serogroup of N. meningitidis was determined using a PCR-based procedure. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of N. meningitidis was conducted in accordance with the international requirements; alleles, sequence types, and clonal complexes were numbered using the database http://pubmlst.org/neisseria/. Results. Serogroup A N. meningitidis ranks first in the etiological pattern of GMIs in Moscow as before, but in the past 4 years there has been a declining trend for its percentage, and in 2014-2015, there was an increase in the proportion of serogroups B and W. The investigators determined the genetic characteristics of 38 N. meningitidis serogroups A and W isolates, by using MLST, and their belonging to clonal complexes. The results are published in the database http://pubmlst.org/neisseria/. Conclusion. The epidemic situation due to N. meningitidis serogroup A may be considered to be stable and to cause no concern. At the same time, the larger proportion of N. meningitidis serogroup W and the detection of the representatives of the hypervirulent clonal complex ET-37 necessitate further monitoring of the circulation of these strains.