Study of Neisseria meningitidis strains collected in Algeria between 1992 and 2001

A total of 141 clinical isolates of Neisseria meningitidis was collected between 1992 and 2001, in Algerian cities. One hundred and thirty were isolated from meningitis cases (92.19%). More than 46% of these cases were children under 10 years of age. The antigenic typing and the determination of electrophoretypes (by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis: MLEE) revealed the predominance of strains A:4:P1.9 subgroup III1. The frequency of subgroups B and W135 was equivalent in each serogroup (10.6%). The determination for the minimal inhibitory concentration of penicillin G revealed five relatively resistant strains (MIC = 0.25 mg/l). The surveillance system for meningitis, involving the microbiological laboratories network, should be updated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]