Microbiologia Clínica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Professor, University of Sinu, Cartagena, Colombia.
Microbiologia Clínica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Professor, University of Sinu, Cartagena, Colombia.
Braz J Infect Dis. 2022 Jan-Feb;26(1):102330. doi: 10.1016/j.bjid.2022.102330. Epub 2022 Feb 15.
The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, a strictly human pathogen, can cause meningitis, meningococcemia, sepsis, and death; repeatedly it scause outbreaks around the world. The frequency of asymptomatic carriage is often high in adolescents and young adults, increasing the invasive meningococcal disease risk and likelihood of transmission. However, detailed analyses of meningococcal carriage in this population in Colombia, particularly in coastal areas, are lacking. In this study, the prevalence and characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis carriage were evaluated in asymptomatic adolescents and young adults (11-25 years old) in Cartagena, Colombia. Oropharynx samples were collected from participants between August and December 2019. The phenotypic identification of bacteria was performed by conventional methods and biochemical testing. Molecular identification to the species level was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In total, 12 of 648 samples were positive for Neisseria meningitidis by 16S rRNA sequencing, indicating a prevalence of 1.9%. Isolates were classified into four invasive serogroups (A, B, C, and W) by a comparative sequence analysis of the ribosomal gene. Despite the occurrence of meningococcal disease in Cartagena city in the last several years, the frequency of oropharyngeal carriage in adolescents and young adults was low. Serogroup A had not been previously reported in nasopharyngeal samples in Colombia. This is the first report of Neisseria meningitidis on the Colombian Caribbean coast based on 16S rRNA sequencing and is expected to guide the development of vaccination and follow-up strategies.
脑膜炎奈瑟菌是一种严格的人类病原体，可引起脑膜炎、脑膜炎球菌血症、败血症和死亡；它反复在世界各地引起暴发。青少年和年轻成年人的无症状带菌率通常很高，增加了侵袭性脑膜炎奈瑟菌病的风险和传播可能性。然而，在哥伦比亚，特别是在沿海地区，对这一人群中脑膜炎奈瑟菌带菌情况的详细分析还很缺乏。在这项研究中，评估了哥伦比亚卡塔赫纳无症状青少年和年轻成年人（11-25 岁）中脑膜炎奈瑟菌带菌的流行率和特征。在 2019 年 8 月至 12 月期间，从参与者的咽部分别采集了咽拭子样本。细菌的表型鉴定通过常规方法和生化试验进行。通过 16S rRNA 基因测序进行分子鉴定到种水平。总共，12 个 648 个样本通过 16S rRNA 测序对脑膜炎奈瑟菌呈阳性，表明流行率为 1.9%。通过核糖体基因的比较序列分析，将分离株分为四个侵袭性血清群（A、B、C 和 W）。尽管在过去几年中卡塔赫纳市发生了脑膜炎球菌病，但青少年和年轻成年人的咽部分离率较低。血清群 A 以前在哥伦比亚鼻咽样本中未被报道过。这是根据 16S rRNA 测序首次在哥伦比亚加勒比海岸报告脑膜炎奈瑟菌，预计将指导疫苗接种和随访策略的制定。
