Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by Neisseria meningitidis is one of the most rapidly progressive sepsis syndromes, often resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Since the introduction of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine in 2003, IMD in Victoria has decreased from 2.5/100 000 to 0.6/100 000 population.1 Epidemiological typing of N. meningitidis isolates is by serogroup, multilocus sequence typing and finetyping.
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- 1. Australian Government Department of Health. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System [website]. http://www9.health.gov.au/cda/source/cda-index.cfm
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- 3. Ladhani SN, Beebeejaun K, Lucidarme J, et al. Increase in endemic Neisseria meningitidis capsular group W sequence type 11 complex associated with severe invasive disease in England and Wales. Clin Infect Dis 2015; 60: 578-585.
- 4. Campbell H, Saliba V, Borrow R, et al. Targeted vaccination of teenagers following continued rapid endemic expansion of a single meningococcal group W clone (sequence type 11 clonal complex), United Kingdom 2015. Eurosurveillance 2015; 20: doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.28.21188.
The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit is funded as a public health laboratory by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.
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