Spread of the meningococci group C isolates of the clonal complex 10217 beyond the African meningitis belt.

OBJECTIVES

To monitor the spread of invasive meningococcal disease due to group C of the clonal complex 10217 isolates beyond the sub-Saharan African meningitis belt.

METHODS

Cases were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction in blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples and further characterized by multi-locus sequence typing that defined sequence type and clonal complexes. Sequencing of penA gene (encoding the penicillin-binding protein 2) was also used to predict susceptibility to β-lactams.

RESULTS

Between July and December 2023, we identified four cases of invasive meningococcal disease among adults, with two fatal cases in Algeria. Three cases were among subjects who recently arrived in Algeria from sub-Saharan African countries and one case was reported in an autochthonal subject. A case was also detected in France in 2018 in a subject who traveled to Cameroon. All five cases were provoked by group C isolates and belonged to the clonal complex cc10217 with identical PorA (P1.21-15,16) and FetA (F1-7) markers. The penA sequencing revealed a wildtype allele that is correlated to susceptibility to β-lactams.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that serogroup C isolates belonging to cc10217 are spreading beyond the meningitis belt. The data underscore the need for enhanced surveillance to inform vaccination strategies.