Outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease caused by a meningococcus serogroup B expressing a rare porA genosubtype (19-54, 15), Spain, March to April 2024
Eurosurveillance·
- DOI
- 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2025.30.44.2500222
- PMID
- 41199706
- PMCID
- PMC12595293
- OpenAlex
- W4415987992
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The report illustrates how surveillance-triggered microbiological and immunological work-up can guide targeted chemoprophylaxis and 4CMenB vaccination among a large contact network, and underscores the need to monitor emergence of the 19-54 genosubtype.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The article characterises a discrete invasive meningococcal disease outbreak in Spain caused by a previously undescribed meningococcus B strain and examines its likely vaccine coverage.
Study design
Outbreak investigation integrating microbiological characterisation (isolation and PCR), molecular typing, a human serum bactericidal antibody assay against the outbreak strain, and public health contact tracing.
Population and setting
Four young adults with invasive meningococcal disease in Spain between March and April 2024, with two distinct social events implicated in transmission; over 200 close contacts were followed up by public health authorities.
Main findings
All four cases were attributable to a serogroup B meningococcus with identical typing (B: 19-54, 15: F5-1: ST-34, cc32) carrying a PorA VR1 genosubtype (19-54) not previously described. Two of the four cases were fatal. hSBA testing indicated the outbreak strain is covered by the 4CMenB vaccine.
Public-health relevance
The report illustrates how surveillance-triggered microbiological and immunological work-up can guide targeted chemoprophylaxis and 4CMenB vaccination among a large contact network, and underscores the need to monitor emergence of the 19-54 genosubtype.
Important limitations
The summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation, including detailed laboratory methods, contact follow-up completeness, and representativeness.
GIDS interpretation
The article is an outbreak report describing a rare PorA genosubtype in Spain; any broader discoverability or contextual relevance would need to be assessed from outside sources and is not established here.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 10 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.