Molecular methods for the detection and characterization of Neisseria meningitidis
Molecular methods for the detection and characterization of Neisseria meningitidis
Neisseria meningitidis remains a common global cause of morbidity and mortality. The laboratory confirmation of meningococcal disease is, therefore, very important for individual patient management and for public health management. Through surveillance schemes, it provides long-term epidemiologic data that can be used to inform vaccine policy. Traditional methods, such as latex agglutination and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, are still used, but molecular methods are now also established. In this review, molecular methods for the laboratory confirmation and characterization of meningococci are described. PCR is an invaluable tool in modern biology and can be used to predict the group, type and subtype of meningococci. It is now also used in a fluorescence-based format for increased sensitivity and specificity. The method also provides the amplified DNA for other techniques, such as multilocus sequence typing. Other methods for the discrimination of meningococci have also played and continue to play an important part in epidemiology. For example, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is highly discriminatory, whilst multilocus enzyme electrophoresis provided the basis for the description of global meningococcal clones and formed the foundation for multilocus sequence typing. Other less commonly used methods, such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and pyrosequencing, may increasingly find their way into microbiology reference laboratories. Nevertheless, nucleotide sequencing and laboratory automation have aided the introduction of many methods and provide data that are digitally based and, therefore, highly accurate and portable
79-87
Diggle, Mathew A.
d739c25b-e038-4a9a-850d-2e2fd6ff4a4f
Clarke, Stuart C.
f7d7f7a2-4b1f-4b36-883a-0f967e73fb17
January 2006
Diggle, Mathew A.
d739c25b-e038-4a9a-850d-2e2fd6ff4a4f
Clarke, Stuart C.
f7d7f7a2-4b1f-4b36-883a-0f967e73fb17
Diggle, Mathew A. and Clarke, Stuart C.
(2006)
Molecular methods for the detection and characterization of Neisseria meningitidis.
Expert Review in Molecular Diagnostics, 6 (1), .
(doi:10.1586/14737159.6.1.79).
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis remains a common global cause of morbidity and mortality. The laboratory confirmation of meningococcal disease is, therefore, very important for individual patient management and for public health management. Through surveillance schemes, it provides long-term epidemiologic data that can be used to inform vaccine policy. Traditional methods, such as latex agglutination and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, are still used, but molecular methods are now also established. In this review, molecular methods for the laboratory confirmation and characterization of meningococci are described. PCR is an invaluable tool in modern biology and can be used to predict the group, type and subtype of meningococci. It is now also used in a fluorescence-based format for increased sensitivity and specificity. The method also provides the amplified DNA for other techniques, such as multilocus sequence typing. Other methods for the discrimination of meningococci have also played and continue to play an important part in epidemiology. For example, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is highly discriminatory, whilst multilocus enzyme electrophoresis provided the basis for the description of global meningococcal clones and formed the foundation for multilocus sequence typing. Other less commonly used methods, such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and pyrosequencing, may increasingly find their way into microbiology reference laboratories. Nevertheless, nucleotide sequencing and laboratory automation have aided the introduction of many methods and provide data that are digitally based and, therefore, highly accurate and portable
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Published date: January 2006
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Local EPrints ID: 151797
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/151797
ISSN: 1473-7159
PURE UUID: 474f569f-4619-4138-b42d-1a3306391bab
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Date deposited: 22 Jun 2010 13:38
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:51
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Author:
Mathew A. Diggle
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