Table 1. Characteristics of the meningococcus strains used in the present study.
| Strain | Alternate designation | Capsular group | STa | PorA VRb | fHbpc gene variant (peptide IDd) | Reactivity of anti-fHbp MAbse | Source country | Year obtained | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAR 1 | JAR 5 | JAR 31 | ||||||||
| CH1A | Z1275f | A | 1 | 5–2,10 | 1 (4) | + | + | − | Niger | 1963 |
| CH4A | Z5010f | A | 1 | 5–2,10 | 1 (4) | + | + | − | Djibouti | 1966 |
| CH5A | Z5005f | A | 1 | 5–2,10 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Morocco | 1967 |
| CH6A | Z1269f | A | 4 | 7,13–1 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 1963 |
| CH7A | Z1278f | A | 4 | 7,13 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Niger | 1963 |
| CH8A | Z1318f | A | 4 | 7–5,13–1 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 1966 |
| CH10A | Z1362f | A | 4 | 7,13 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Cameroon | 1966 |
| CH11A | Z1213f | A | 4 | 7,13–1 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Ghana | 1973 |
| CH13A | Z2491f | A | 4 | 7,13–1 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Gambia | 1983 |
| CH14A | Z3667f | A | 4 | 7,13–1 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Sudan | 1985 |
| CH15A | Z4421f | A | 4 | 7,13 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Mali | 1990 |
| CH17A | Z4186f | A | 4 | 7,13–1 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Mali | 1990 |
| CH19A | F6124 f | A | 5 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Chad | 1988 |
| CH20A | Niger 1/95g | A | 5 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Niger | 1995 |
| CH21A | Senegal 1/99g | A | 5 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Senegal | 1999 |
| CH22A | E23/03g | A | 7 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Ethiopia | 2003 |
| CH23A | E2/88g | A | 7 | 20,9 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Ethiopia | 2003 |
| CH24A | Niger 12/06g | A | 7 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Niger | 2006 |
| CH25A | Niga 3/07g | A | 7 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Nigeria | 2007 |
| CH26A | LNP20868 | A | 2859 | 20,9 | 1 (ND) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 2003 |
| CH27A | LNP20790 | A | 2859 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 2003 |
| CH28A | BuFa 6/07g | A | 2859 | 20,9 | 1 (5) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 2007 |
| CH30W | BuFa 16/01g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 1 (9) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 2001 |
| CH31W | BuFa 6/02g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 2 (23) | − | − | + | Burkina Faso | 2002 |
| CH32W | BuFa 16/02g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 2 (23) | − | − | + | Burkina Faso | 2002 |
| CH33W | M9261 | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 2 (ND) | − | − | + | Burkina Faso | 2002 |
| CH34W | M9262 | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 2 (23) | − | − | + | Burkina Faso | 2002 |
| CH36W | BuFa 1/03g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 2 (ND) | − | − | + | Burkina Faso | 2003 |
| CH37W | BuFa 2/03g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 2 (23) | − | − | + | Burkina Faso | 2003 |
| CH38W | Su 1/06g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 1 (9) | + | + | − | Sudan | 2006 |
| CH39W | Mali 29/07g | W-135 | 11 | 5,2 | 1 (9) | + | + | − | Mali | 2007 |
| CH43X | BuFa 2/97g | X | 751 | 5–1,10–1 | 1 (73) | + | + | − | Burkina Faso | 1997 |
| CH40X | BuFa 7/07g | X | 181 | 5–1,10–1 | 1 (74) | − | + | − | Burkina Faso | 2007 |
| CH41X | Ug 10/06g | X | 5403 | 19,26 | 1 (74) | − | + | − | Uganda | 2006 |
| CH42X | Ug 13/07g | X | 5403 | 19,26 | 1 (74) | − | + | − | Uganda | 2007 |
NOTE. fHbp, factor H–binding protein; ID, identification no.; MAb, monoclonal antibody; ND, not done; ST, multilocus sequence type; VR, PorA variable region ST.
Determined using the Neisseria MLST Home Page [23], as described elsewhere [24]. ST-1, -4, and -11 are the central STs in the respective ST complexes; ST-5, -7, and -2859 are in the ST-5 complex; ST-181 and -751 are in the same clone complex as each other, which has not yet been designated; ST-5403 is from another clonal complex, also not yet designated, and is unrelated to that of ST-181 and ST-751.
Determined using the Neisseria.org Web site [25].
The fHbp variant was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, as described elsewhere [26].
Assigned using the Neisseria.org fHbp Database [27].
MAbs JAR 1 and 5 are specific for fHbp in the variant 1 (v.1) group [18, 28]. JAR 5 is broadly reactive and JAR 1 reacts with a subset of fHbp in the v.1 group [18, 28]. JAR 31 cross-reacts with fHbp in the variant 2 and variant 3 groups (J.A.W. and D.M.G., unpublished data).
[29].
Strain from the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Meningococci (Oslo, Norway).