Journal of Clinical Microbiology · 2001 · 43 citations · 15 references
Life SciencesInfectious DiseasesMicrobiologyMedical MicrobiologyMolecular EpidemiologyOutbreak InvestigationBacterial Disease EpidemiologyBacterial EpidemiologyBacterial InfectionsBacterial SerologyInfectious Disease SurveillanceMolecular TypingBacterial TypingEpidemiology Of Bacterial InfectionsGenotypic Characterization Of IsolatesInfectious Disease SerologyMolecular CharacterizationMolecular Outbreak InvestigationMolecular Typing Of BacteriaPulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis
An outbreak of serogroup W-135 meningococcal disease was reported among pilgrims returning from the annual hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) in mid-March 2000. Molecular characterization was used to investigate the similarity of the hajj-associated W-135 strains with those isolated in Sweden during a 23-year period (1978 to 2000). The same hajj-associated genosubtype, genosubtype P1.5,2,36b, has been documented in Sweden since 1979, while pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and the sulfadiazine resistance of the W-135 isolates indicated that the outbreak was probably due to a new clone of W-135 meningococci.
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