ANTIGENIC STUDY OF 337 STRAINS OF NEISSERIA-MENINGITIDIS ISOLATED IN MALI - EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND VACCINAL INTEREST

Our work was about 337 strains of Neisseria meningitidis, isolated between 1989 and 1992 in Mali; 163 from CSF and 174 from throat. Serogroup C represents 90% of strains isolated from CSF et 33% of strains isolated from throat. Antigenic structure was determined. We found that serogroup A is P1.9 which is specific to clone IV.1 responsible for epidemic between 1981 and 1984 in Africa but actually endemic. Serogroup C has a new type of OMP1, unknown before, called by us P1-y. P1.y is typic to malian strains of serogroup C; it is rare or absent in strains from other countries (USA, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Italy).