The increasing number of cases of serogroup C meningococcal disease in Scotland in the late 1990s coincided with the availability of a new meningococcal conjugate serogroup C (MCC) vaccine that, from 1999 onwards, was offered to all individuals aged <20 years. Annual incidence rates between 1994 and 2003 were calculated in 3 age groups (<5 years old; 5-19 years old; and >or=20 years old), and P...

All is not well in the fight against menin-gococcal disease. Despite the availability, for decades, of meningococcal vaccines, Neisseria meningitidis remains a leading cause of meningitis, sepsis, and other serious infections in both industrialized nations and the developing world [1]. The meningitis belt in sub-Saharan Africa continues to suffer from devastating epidemics of infection due to s...

BACKGROUNDS Meningococcal disease remains a serious public health problem worldwide. In Catalonia, after implementing the vaccination program, there has been a significant decrease in cases caused by meningococcus C. METHODS Reported cases of meningococcal disease between 1997 and 2008 were analyzed to determine the evolution after the introduction of a conjugated vaccine in Catalonia. RESU...

BACKGROUND Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A is the main causative pathogen of meningitis epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, serogroup W135 has also been the cause of epidemics. Mass vaccination campaigns with polysaccharide vaccines are key elements in controlling these epidemics. Facing global vaccine shortage, we explored the use of fractional doses of a licensed A/C/Y/W135 p...

A Legionella-like organism (strain 570-CO-H [= ATCC 43290]) isolated from the lung tissue of a patient with pneumonia was shown by growth, as well as physiological, serological, and genetic characteristics, to belong to a new Legionella pneumophila serogroup, serogroup 12. Two additional strains were detected with antiserum specific for strain 570-CO-H. These strains were isolated from environm...

We characterized the genetic defect of a capsule-deficient serogroup B meningococcal strain created by Tn916 mutagenesis. The transposon insertion interrupts a capsule biosynthesis gene, synX, which is involved in the production of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a precursor of the (alpha 2-->8)-linked polysialic acid capsule of serogroup B meningococci.

BACKGROUND Before 2001, the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Canada was 1.0 per 100 000 per year, with 40% of cases caused by serogroup C organisms. During 2001-2005 all provinces introduced the meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine (MCCV) into their routine infant immunization schedule. METHODS Active, prospective, population-based surveillance of IMD in children an...

BACKGROUND The incidence of meningococcal disease is currently at historic lows in the United States; however, incidence remains highest among infants aged <1 year. With routine use of Haemophilus influenzae type b and pneumococcal vaccines in infants and children in the United States, Neisseria meningitidis remains an important cause of bacterial meningitis in young children. METHODS Data we...

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), a member of the Orbivirus genus in the family Reoviridae, is related to bluetongue virus (BTV) and Palyam serogroup of orbiviruses. The EHDV infects domestic and wild ruminants in many parts of the world. Ten serotypes of EHDV designated (EHDV-1 through EHDV-10) are recognized worldwide. Currently, there is little information about the epidemiology o...