GENETIC TYPING OF NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS CIRCULATING IN THE REGIONS OF RUSSIA
34 meningococcal strains and 22 samples of cerebrospinal fluid containing N. meningitidis DNA were collected in the Russian regions from patients with systemic meningococcal disease and characterized by multilocus sequence typing and genetic determination of antigenic features (serogroup, subtype, allele of a variable region of FetA protein). Serogroup B (31 specimens) and serogroup C (20 specimens) meningococci prevailed. The majority of serogroup B and C meningococci (33 specimens) belonged to one of 5 clonal complexes. Four complexes were already present in database http://pubmlst.org/neisseria/: «ST-41/44 complex/Lineage» (18 specimens, 35%), «ST-18 complex» (4 or 8%), «ST-226 complex» (1 or 2%) и «ST-37complex» (1 or 2%). 5 sequence types (9 specimens or 18%), which were genetically related to ST-9396, formed a new clonal complex identified in this study. 17 sequence types found in 18 (35%) specimens do not belong to any known clonal complex. This pattern is typical for sporadic morbidity. At the same time, the sequence types and clonal complexes of meningococci found in the investigated Russian regions were also present in European countries; this does not point to the fact there are substantial genetic features of Russian N. meningitidis serogroup B and C strains.