Neonatal Conjunctivitis Caused by Neisseria meningitidis US Urethritis Clade, New York, USA, August 2017

The abilities of Transgrow (TG), Thayer-Martin (TM), and New York City (NYC) solid media to maintain the viability of 12 strains of Neisseria meningitidis under various controlled conditions were assessed. The effects of charcoal impregnation of swabs, temperature, and an enriched CO2, atmosphere were examined with holding for up to 21 days. Recovery from samples held at 35 °C was, in almost all instances, greater than at 22 or 4 °C. A strong requirement for added CO2 was demonstrated, especially at lower temperatures. No positive effect could be attributed to the use of charcoal-impregnated swabs. NYC and TM media were the best overall, with the former permitting recovery from more than 75% of all samples held on slants for 20 days at 4 °C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. Freezing, with holding on dry ice, was a useful alternative to the use of growth-supporting media. This latter method eliminated the requirement for an enriched CO2 atmosphere.

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Tracking a Serial Killer: Integrating Phylogenetic Relationships, Epidemiology, and Geography for Two Invasive Meningococcal Disease Outbreaks

10.1101/387597 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ifeoma Ezeoke ◽

Madeline R. Galac ◽

Ying Lin ◽

Alvin T. Liem ◽

Pierce A. Roth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Neisseria Meningitidis ◽

Meningococcal Disease ◽

Betweenness Centrality ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

The United States ◽

Serial Killer ◽

Comparative Genomic ◽

Transmission Networks ◽

Targeted Interventions

AbstractBackgroundWhile overall rates of meningococcal disease have been declining in the United States for the past several decades, New York City (NYC) has experienced two serogroup C meningococcal disease outbreaks in 2005-2006 and in 2010-2013. The outbreaks were centered within drug use and sexual networks, were difficult to control, and required vaccine campaigns.MethodsWhole Genome Sequencing (WGS) was used to analyze preserved meningococcal isolates collected before and during the two outbreaks. We integrated and analyzed epidemiologic, geographic, and genomic data to better understand transmission networks among patients. Betweenness centrality was used as a metric to understand the most important geographic nodes in the transmission networks. Comparative genomics was used to identify genes associated with the outbreaks.ResultsNeisseria meningitidis serogroup C (ST11/ET-37) was responsible for both outbreaks with each outbreak having distinct phylogenetic clusters. WGS did identify some misclassifications of isolates that were more distant from the rest of the outbreak, as well as those that should have been included based on high genomic similarity. Genomes for the second outbreak were more similar than the first and no mutation was found to either be unique or specific to either outbreak lineage. Betweenness centrality as applied to transmission networks based on phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the outbreaks were transmitted within focal communities in NYC with few transmission events to other locations.ConclusionsNeisseria meningitidis is an ever changing pathogen and comparative genomic analyses can help elucidate how it spreads geographically to facilitate targeted interventions to interrupt transmission.

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