Characterization of invasive Neisseria meningitidis strains from Québec, Canada, during a period of increased serogroup B disease, 2009-2013: phenotyping and genotyping with special emphasis on the non-carbohydrate protein vaccine targets

Background The epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Quebec, Canada, has been dominated in the past decade by a clone of serogroup B (MenB) Neisseria meningitidis defined by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) as sequence type (ST)-269. With the licensure of a new MenB vaccine Bexsero (4CMenB) in Canada, this study characterized invasive N. meningitidis recovered in Quebec from 2009 to 2013, with an objective to examine the diversity of the 4CMenB vaccine antigens. Isolates were serogrouped by antisera and genogrouped by PCR, and further typed by whole cell ELISA for serotype and serosubtype antigens. Clonal analysis was done by MLST. Isolates were genotyped by analysis of their 4CMenB vaccine antigen genes of PorA, factor H binding protein (fHbp), Neisserial Heparin Binding Antigen (NHBA), and Neisseria Adhesin A (NadA).