Patterns of meningococcal infection in Sudan with emergence of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135

This study was conducted during the 2004-2006 epidemic of meningitis in Sudan to follow-up the frequency of disease outbreak or endemic waves and to evaluate the new quadrivalent vaccine for actual application. Samples were collected from Darfur, El Gedaref, Kassala and Khartoum States and transported to the National Health Central Laboratory in Khartoum. Of 196 patients with clinical symptoms and signs of meningitis, conventional culture identified Neisseria meningitidis in 37 [18.9%], confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. N. meningitidis type A was identified in 29 [78.4%] patients, type C in 3 [8.1%] and N. meningitidis W135 in 5 [15.5%]. The serotyping and molecular diagnosis patterns of N. meningitidis showed the emergence of the new strain,W 135, in patients from the borders of Sudan, 3 from the West Darfur, and 1 each from El Gedaref and Kassala. These could be related to the movement of pilgrims through the borders to Saudi Arabia in the Hajj season. Serious consideration may be needed for quadrivalent vaccination to prevent seasonal and Hajj season outbreaks

Antibiotic susceptibility and biotypes of clinical isolates of haemophilus influenzae

The susceptibility of 200 strains of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from patients seen in the Riyadh University Hospitals to various antibiotics was determined using the agar dilution method. The antibiotics tested included ampicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, cotrimoxazole, cephamandole, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, moxalactam and ceftriaxone. Ampicillin resistance was seen in 15% of the strains, 80% of which were found to be beta lactamase producers. Resistance to other antibiotics was as follows: chloramphenicol 5.5%, tetracycline 10.5% and cotrimoxazole 1.5%. All the strains were susceptible to the second and third generation cephalosporins. Biotyping of the strains showed biotype II H. influenzae to be the most common biotype isolated and biotype III to be the most resistant to antibiotics