{
    "abstract": "The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, a strictly human pathogen, can cause meningitis, meningococcemia, sepsis, and death; repeatedly it scause outbreaks around the world. The frequency of asymptomatic carriage is often high in adolescents and young adults, increasing the invasive meningococcal disease risk and likelihood of transmission. However, detailed analyses of meningococcal carriage in this population in Colombia, particularly in coastal areas, are lacking. In this study, the prevalence and characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis carriage were evaluated in asymptomatic adolescents and young adults (11-25 years old) in Cartagena, Colombia. Oropharynx samples were collected from participants between August and December 2019. The phenotypic identification of bacteria was performed by conventional methods and biochemical testing. Molecular identification to the species level was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In total, 12 of 648 samples were positive for Neisseria meningitidis by 16S rRNA sequencing, indicating a prevalence of 1.9%. Isolates were classified into four invasive serogroups (A, B, C, and W) by a comparative sequence analysis of the ribosomal gene. Despite the occurrence of meningococcal disease in Cartagena city in the last several years, the frequency of oropharyngeal carriage in adolescents and young adults was low. Serogroup A had not been previously reported in nasopharyngeal samples in Colombia. This is the first report of Neisseria meningitidis on the Colombian Caribbean coast based on 16S rRNA sequencing and is expected to guide the development of vaccination and follow-up strategies.",
    "authors": [
        {
            "affiliation": "Microbiologia Cl\u00ednica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Professor, University of Sinu, Cartagena, Colombia.",
            "firstname": "Marlon",
            "initials": "M",
            "lastname": "Macias-Mendoza"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Microbiologia Cl\u00ednica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Professor, University of Sinu, Cartagena, Colombia.",
            "firstname": "Alfredo",
            "initials": "A",
            "lastname": "Montes-Robledo"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Microbiologia Cl\u00ednica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Doctorate in Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: cindy.arteta@ug.uchile.cl.",
            "firstname": "Cindy",
            "initials": "C",
            "lastname": "Arteta-Acosta"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Microbiologia Cl\u00ednica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.",
            "firstname": "Rosa",
            "initials": "R",
            "lastname": "Baldiris-Avila"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Microbiologia Cl\u00ednica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Intensive Care and Obstetric Research Group (GRICIO). University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.",
            "firstname": "Wilfrido",
            "initials": "W",
            "lastname": "Coronell-Rodr\u00edguez"
        }
    ],
    "conclusions": null,
    "copyrights": "Copyright \u00a9 2022 Sociedade Brasileira de Infectologia. Published by Elsevier Espa\u00f1a, S.L.U. All rights reserved.",
    "doi": "10.1016/j.bjid.2022.102330\n10.1517/14656566.5.4.855\n10.1371/journal.pone.0135497\n10.1093/jpids/piu027\n10.1016/S0168-6445(00)00040-1\n10.1371/journal.pone.0247991\n10.1056/NEJM200105033441807\n10.1056/NEJMcibr1101564\n10.1128/JCM.01609-18\n10.1007/s40121-019-00262-9\n10.1086/340414",
    "journal": "The Brazilian journal of infectious diseases : an official publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases",
    "keywords": [
        "Carriage",
        "Nasopharynx",
        "Neisseria meningitis",
        "Serogroups"
    ],
    "methods": null,
    "publication_date": "2022-02-18",
    "pubmed_id": "35176256\n27820969\n24030352\n15102568\n21075057\n26322796\n8150942\n31364554\n26625360\n26148043\n29722887\n31904846\n11152940\n26819097\n33780457\n26222063\n23412025\n22877581\n19377737\n11333996\n18045562\n31085314\n22128384\n25148776\n1904825\n10694145\n21506747\n19481311\n25814628\n22607896\n12454145\n31551478\n30567750\n31859831\n31585728\n28628448\n22607899\n17521780\n29961604\n31471813\n29751133\n26226598\n12023765",
    "results": null,
    "title": "Identification of the nasopharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis by 16S rRNA Gene sequencing in asymptomatic adolescents and young adults in Cartagena, Colombia (2019-2020).",
    "xml": "<Element 'PubmedArticle' at 0x7885049d9670>"
}