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J M Collard,
Z Maman,
A Abani,
H B Mainasara,
S Djibo,
H Yacouba,
R Maitournam,
F Sidikou, P Nicolas,
J Rocourt,
J F Jusot
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ABSTRACT: The 2009 meningitis season in Niger was characterized by an early onset, beginning in the very first weeks of the year and peaking from the 12th to the 15th week with 5655 clinical cases over the 4 weeks. From 1 January 2009 to 28 June 2009 (week 26), a total of 13,733 clinical cases of meningitis were reported to the national epidemiological surveillance system with a case-fatality rate of 4·2%. During the season 25 of the 42 health districts reached the epidemic threshold and 11 the alert threshold. Reactive mass vaccination campaigns involving a total of 5 166,741 doses of the polysaccharide meningococcal bivalent (A+C) vaccine progressively controlled the outbreak in most parts of the country. A total of 3755 cerebrospinal fluid samples representing 28·1% of the suspected meningitis cases were analysed. Serogroup A meningococci were the causative agent in 97·5% of the meningococcal cases. Multi-locus sequence typing of 26 meningococal serogroup A strains showed 25 sequence type (ST)7 and one ST2859, both sequence types belonging to the ST5 clonal complex (CC5) of subgroup III. This is the largest epidemic observed in Niger since those of 1995-1996 (59,948 notified cases) and 2000 (14,633 notified cases).
Epidemiology and Infection 01/2011; 139(11):1656-60. · 2.84 Impact Factor
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Médecine tropicale: revue du Corps de santé colonial 11/2006; 66(5):494.
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ABSTRACT: In 2003, in the Zinder and Maradi regions (Niger), epidemics were due to serogroup A:4:P1.9 meningococci belonging to sequence type 7 (ST-7). In Niamey, only sporadic cases were reported: 55% of the meningococcus strains were in serogroup A, and 38% were in serogroup W135 and could be placed in ST-11, identical to the 2002 Burkina Faso epidemic clone, and in ST-2881, a new ST.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology 04/2005; 43(3):1437-8. · 4.15 Impact Factor
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J-P Chippaux,
A Garba,
C Ethevenaux,
G Campagne,
F de Chabalier,
S Djibo, P Nicolas,
H Ali,
M Charrondière,
R Ryall,
M Bybel,
A Schuchat
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ABSTRACT: We studied one to four doses of meningococcal polysaccharides A and C conjugated to diphtheria toxoid (Men D) versus A/C polysaccharide (Men PS) vaccine in 618 infants in Niger. Men PS at 24 months permitted evaluating memory. Two Men D doses (at 3 and 9 months) induced higher serum bactericidal activity (SBA) than other regimens. SBA titers after Men PS at 24 months were higher in those given Men D in infancy versus Men PS. While responses were lower for serogroup C, hyporesponsiveness was not evident. Men D was well-tolerated. A single Men D dose in infancy appeared to induce memory.
Vaccine 10/2004; 22(25-26):3303-11. · 3.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study of pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in a school in Niamey, Nigeria was carried out to confirm the feasibility of evaluating the impact of conjugate vaccine on the meningococcal carriage. All 90 pupils attending the school were examined during the dry season in February 1998. All children had been vaccinated using polysaccharide A/C in 1996. Samples were collected from the soft palate and immediately seeded on selective medium. After incubation at 37 degrees C for 24 hours, suspicious colonies were re-seeded on Miller-Hinton medium. Identification of N. meningitidis was based on standard biochemical criteria, agglutination grouping and DNA fingerprinting. Seven carriers of N. meningitidis X:NT:P1.5 were found. One of these carriers also presented a strain of N. meningitis A:4:P1.9. The high prevalence of serogroup X strains coincided with an outbreak of meningitis involving the same sub-type and sequence-type in Niamey.
Médecine tropicale: revue du Corps de santé colonial 02/2004; 64(4):363-6.
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ABSTRACT: In the African meningitis belt, the recurrent meningococcal meningitis epidemics are generally caused by serogroup A. In the past 20 years, other serogroups have been detected, such as X or W135, which have caused sporadic cases or clusters. We report here 134 meningitis cases caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup X that occurred in Niamey between 1995 and 2000. They represented 3.91% of the meningococcal isolates from all CSF samples, whereas 94.4% were of serogroup A. Meningococcal meningitis cases were detected using the framework of the routine surveillance system for reportable diseases organized by the Ministry of Public Health of Niger. The strains were isolated and determined by the reference laboratory for meningitis in Niamey (CERMES) and further typed at the WHO collaborating center of the Pharo in Marseille and at the National Reference Center for the Meningococci at the Institut Pasteur. Reference laboratories in Marseille and Paris characterized 47 isolates having the antigenic formula (serogroup:serotype:sero-subtype) X:NT:P1.5. Meningitis cases due to meningococcus serogroup X did not present any clinical or epidemiological differences to those due to serogroup A. The seasonal incidence was classical; 93.3% of the cases were recorded during the dry season. The mean age of patients was 9.2 years (+/- 6 years). The sex ratio M/F was 1.3. Case fatality rate was 11.9% without any difference related to age or sex. The increasing incidence of the serogroup X was not related to the decrease of serogroup A, but seemed cyclic, and evolved independently of the recurrence of both serogroups A and C.
Tropical Medicine & International Health 01/2004; 8(12):1118-23. · 2.80 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Between January and April 1998, a meningitis outbreak due to serogroup A meningococcus took place in Senegal. The outbreak began in Gandiaye, 165 km to the east of Dakar, and progressed towards the towns of Gossas, Niakkhar, Guinguineo, Fatik, Foundiougne, Dioffior, Sokone, Kaolack, and Nioro. At the same time, the outbreak reached regions of Kaffrine, Koungheul, and Tambacounda in the east of Senegal. A total of 1,350 cases and 200 deaths were reported. The WHO Collaborating Center in Marseilles received 24 strains for analysis. All were serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis, type 4 and subtype P1.9. Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, performed by Institut Pasteur Paris, showed that the strains belonged to clone III-1. DNA restriction fragments generated by endonuclease BglII and analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed 24 indistinguishable fingerprint patterns similar to those of meningococcus strains isolated from African outbreaks since 1988. Three strains were studied by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) with seven loci. The comparison between sequences and existing alleles on the MLST website () allowed us to assign these strains to sequence type 5 (ST5), as their sequences were identical to the consensus at seven loci. All 24 strains were susceptible to penicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, and rifampin. Subgroup III is finishing its spread towards west of the meningitis belt of Africa. To our knowledge, this is the first time subgroup III, and more precisely ST5, strains are reported as being responsible for a meningitis outbreak in Senegal.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology 01/2000; 38(1):198-200. · 4.15 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: One hundred four serogroup A meningococci in our collection, isolated in Africa from 1988 to 1999, were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Our results and data from the Internet indicate that sequence type 5 (ST-5) strains were responsible for most of African outbreaks and sporadic cases during this period. In 1995, a new clone, characterized by ST-7 sequence, emerged and was responsible for severe outbreaks in Chad (1998) and Sudan (1999). MLST and epidemiologic data indicate that ST-5 and ST-7 represent two virulent clones. These two STs, which belong to subgroup III, differ only in the pgm locus: allele pgm3 is characteristic for ST-5 and allele pgm19 for ST-7. Subgroup III strains were responsible for two pandemics in the 1960s and 1980s. Our data show that the third subgroup III pandemic has now reached Africa.
Emerging infectious diseases 7(5):849-54. · 6.17 Impact Factor
