Molecular detection and characterization of Neisseria meningitidis.

Immediate management of meningococcal infections is a medical emergency that requires rapid identification and typing of bacterial strains. Isolation of Neisseria meningitidis is hindered by early antibiotic treatment. Molecular (nonculture) methods of diagnosis and characterization of N. meningitidis permit to overcome this failure. This bacterium is highly variable due to frequent horizontal DNA exchange between strains. Molecular approaches of typing allow a reliable tracking of meningococcal strains and a powerful epidemiological analysis.