Molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a university community

Michael B Edmund; Richard J Hollis; Alison K Houston; Richard P Wenzel

doi:10.1128/JCM.33.8.2209-2211.1995

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Molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a university community

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a university community

Michael B Edmund, Richard J Hollis, Alison K Houston and Richard P Wenzel

Journal of clinical microbiology, Vol.33(8), pp.2209-2211

08/1995

DOI: 10.1128/JCM.33.8.2209-2211.1995

PMCID: PMC228370

PMID: 7559983

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Abstract

Over a 2-month period, five cases of serogroup C meningococcal disease occurred in Iowa City, Iowa. Two patients were unacquainted university students who had independently visited another university with endemic meningococcal disease. Isolates from these patients had DNA fingerprints identical to those of the isolates responsible for infections on the other campus. Three cases for which the patients' isolates had a different DNA fingerprint were linked to visiting a local tavern. To disrupt the outbreak, the University of Iowa offered free meningococcal vaccine to all students. This report demonstrates that outbreaks of meningococcal disease may be due to more than one circulating strain and illustrates the utility of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in defining the molecular epidemiology of meningococcal infections.

Molecular Epidemiology

Meningococcal Infections - epidemiology

DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification

DNA Fingerprinting

Humans

Male

Meningococcal Infections - microbiology

Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field

Neisseria meningitidis - isolation & purification

Meningitis, Meningococcal - epidemiology

Universities

Bacteremia - microbiology

Neisseria meningitidis - classification

Disease Outbreaks

Meningitis, Meningococcal - microbiology

Adolescent

Adult

Bacteremia - epidemiology

Female

Iowa - epidemiology

Neisseria meningitidis - genetics

Serotyping

Details

Title: Subtitle: Molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a university community
Creators: Michael B Edmund - Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA
Richard J Hollis
Alison K Houston
Richard P Wenzel
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of clinical microbiology, Vol.33(8), pp.2209-2211
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.33.8.2209-2211.1995
PMID: 7559983
PMCID: PMC228370
NLM abbreviation: J Clin Microbiol
ISSN: 0095-1137
eISSN: 1098-660X
Publisher: United States
Grant note: T32AIO7374 / NIAID NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 08/1995
Academic Unit: Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9983905646402771

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