TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing Meningococcal Genomic Surveillance in the Meningitis Belt Using High-Resolution Culture-Free Whole-Genome Sequencing
AU - Itsko, Mark
AU - Topaz, Nadav
AU - Ousmane-Traoré, Sani
AU - Popoola, Micheal
AU - Ouedraogo, Rasmata
AU - Gamougam, Kadidja
AU - Sadji, Adodo Yao
AU - Abdul-Karim, Abass
AU - Lascols, Christine
AU - Wang, Xin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
PY - 2022/8/15
Y1 - 2022/8/15
N2 - Rollout of meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine in Africa started in 2010, aiming to eliminate meningitis outbreaks, in meningitis belt countries. Since then, studies have been conducted, primarily using isolates, to assess the vaccine impact on the distribution of meningococcal strains in the region. Here, we implemented an innovative, culture-free whole-genome sequencing approach on almost 400 clinical specimens collected between 2017 and 2019 from meningococcal meningitis cases in 6 African countries. About 50% of specimens provided high-quality whole-genome sequence data for comprehensive molecular profiling of the meningococcal pathogen. Three major clonal complexes were identified: CC11 associated with serogroup W, CC181 associated with serogroup X, and CC10217 associated with serogroup C, which continues to rise as a predominant clonal complex in the region. Genomic surveillance for meningococcal meningitis can be significantly improved using culture-free methods to increase data representativeness and monitor changes in epidemiological landscape, especially for countries with low culture rate.
AB - Rollout of meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine in Africa started in 2010, aiming to eliminate meningitis outbreaks, in meningitis belt countries. Since then, studies have been conducted, primarily using isolates, to assess the vaccine impact on the distribution of meningococcal strains in the region. Here, we implemented an innovative, culture-free whole-genome sequencing approach on almost 400 clinical specimens collected between 2017 and 2019 from meningococcal meningitis cases in 6 African countries. About 50% of specimens provided high-quality whole-genome sequence data for comprehensive molecular profiling of the meningococcal pathogen. Three major clonal complexes were identified: CC11 associated with serogroup W, CC181 associated with serogroup X, and CC10217 associated with serogroup C, which continues to rise as a predominant clonal complex in the region. Genomic surveillance for meningococcal meningitis can be significantly improved using culture-free methods to increase data representativeness and monitor changes in epidemiological landscape, especially for countries with low culture rate.
KW - Neisseria meningitidis
KW - culture-free whole-genome sequencing
KW - meningococcal meningitis surveillance
KW - selective whole-genome amplification
KW - targeted sequencing
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85137162092
U2 - 10.1093/infdis/jiac104
DO - 10.1093/infdis/jiac104
M3 - Article
C2 - 35325163
AN - SCOPUS:85137162092
SN - 0022-1899
VL - 226
SP - 729
EP - 737
JO - Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - Journal of Infectious Diseases
IS - 4
ER -
