Molecular Approaches to Differentiation of W135 Neisseria meningitidis Strains in Croatia

An outbreak of meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 (MenW135) occurred in 2000 among over 400 Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and their close contacts worldwide. Extensive molecular characterization of these MenW135 isolates showed that they were of PorA type P1.5, 2 ; all had identical 16S rDNA gene sequences, indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) NheI patterns ; and by multilocus-enzyme electrophoresis (MEE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) they were shown to be members of the virulent ET-37 complex. Here we present the utility of molecular subtyping of a MenW135 strain in an investigation of meningococcal disease in a Croatian Christian pilgrim following a religious event in a neighboring country.