TY - JOUR AU - Zhu, Bingqing AU - Xu, Zheng AU - Du, Pengcheng AU - Xu, Li AU - Sun, Xiaofang AU - Gao, Yuan AU - Shao, Zhujun T1 - Sequence Type 4821 Clonal Complex Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis in China, 1978–2013 T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2015 VL - 21 IS - 6 SP - 925 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis strains belonging to sequence type 4821 clonal complex (CC4821), a hyperinvasive lineage first identified for serogroup C in 2003, have been increasingly isolated in China. We characterized the outer membrane protein genes of 48 serogroup B and 214 serogroup C strains belonging to CC4821 and analyzed the genomic sequences of 22 strains. Four serogroup B strains had porin A (i.e., PorA), PorB, and ferric enterobactin transport (i.e., FetA) genotypes identical to those for serogroup C. Phylogenetic analysis of the genomic sequences showed that the 22 CC4821 strains from patients and healthy carriers were unevenly clustered into 2 closely related groups; each group contained serogroup B and C strains. Serogroup B strains appeared variable at the capsule locus, and several recombination events had occurred at uncertain breakpoints. These findings suggest that CC4821 serogroup C N. meningitidis is the probable origin of highly pathogenic CC4821 serogroup B strains. KW - Neisseria meningitidis KW - serogroup B KW - serogroup C KW - sequence type 4821 KW - ST-4821 clonal complex KW - clonal complex 4821 KW - CC4821 KW - capsule switching KW - China KW - epidemiology KW - bacteria KW - phylogenetic analysis KW - surveillance KW - recombination events KW - epidemic DO - 10.3201/eid2106.140687 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/21/6/14-0687_article ER - End of Reference