PCR-single-stranded confirmational polymorphism analysis for non-culture-based subtyping of meningococcal strains in clinical specimens.

摘要: Subspecific typing of clinical meningococcal strains is important in the investigation outbreaks and for disease surveillance. Serogrouping, typing, subtyping currently require isolation a meningococcus from one or more specimens. However, increasing widespread practice preadmission administration parenteral antibiotics has resulted decrease frequency positive cultures obtained blood cerebrospinal fluid. Confirmation can be by meningococcus-specific PCR both fluid (H. Ni et al., Lancet 340:1432-1434, 1992) peripheral (J. Newcombe J. Clin. Microbiol. 34:1637-1640, 1996) current protocols do not yield epidemiologically useful information. We report here use PCR-single-stranded confirmational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis to amplify type DNA present PCR-SSCP with VR1 region Neisseria meningitidis porA gene as target produced unique banding patterns each serosubtype. Direct specimens therefore provide data that used investigate epidemiology clusters cases surveillance situations which culture patient proves negative.