CONTRIBUTION OF MOLECULAR AMPLIFICATION TECHNIQUES FOR DIAGNOSIS OF MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE

Abstract
We submit the contribution of molecular techniques to the diagnosis of pediatric meningococcal disease from January 2001 to December 2005. Culture isolation and serogroup of Neisseria meningitidis was performed using traditional serology and biochemical methods. With regard to molecular techniques, we first used a traditional PCR with amplification of insertion sequence IS1106. On a second phase, it was substituted for Real Time PCR with detection of gene CtrA. Results: During the studied period, 148 meningococcal disease cases were diagnosed (63 female and 85 male), median age 4.7 years. Forty-eight patients were studied only by culture and N. meningitidis was isolated only in 22 cases (45.8%). The rest of the cases were studied by culture and PC R, microbiological confirmation being obtained in 78 cases (78%): five only by culture, 38 only by PCR and 35 by culture and PCR. Culture sensitivity in patients who had previously been treated with antibiotics was 13.5%, whereas PCR sensitivity was 67.5%. In patients with fulminant disease (septic shock in the first eight hours after the beginning of the disease), sensitivity was 73.3% for PCR and 33.3% for culture.

Key words
N. meningitidis, polymerase chain reaction, children, meningococcal disease

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