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Analysis of the prevaccine population of noncapsulateHaemophilus influenzae and identification of a putative epidemic clone

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Abstract

For six months prior to the introduction ofHaemophilus influenzae serotype b vaccines, all noncapsulateHaemophilus influenzae received by our laboratory were characterised by biotyping, antibiogram, outer-membrane protein profiling, and ribotyping. Simpson's index of diversity (SID) showed the population was heterogeneous with multiple clones. The study identified a clone within noncapsulateHaemophilus influenzae biotype II that caused more disease than other strains. This clone was shown to have previously caused two outbreaks of respiratory disease and to possess a small extrachromosomal plasmid encoding ampicillin resistance. The study shows that describing the diversity within a bacterial population with SID may negate the need for retrospective subtyping comparisons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Haemophilus Reference Laboratory, Oxford Public Health Laboratory, John Radcliffe Hospital, OX3 9DU, Headington, Oxford, UK

    N. I. Leaves & J. Z. Jordens

  2. Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Windmill Road, OX3 7BN, Headington, Oxford, UK

    N. I. Leaves

Authors
  1. N. I. Leaves
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  2. J. Z. Jordens
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Leaves, N.I., Jordens, J.Z. Analysis of the prevaccine population of noncapsulateHaemophilus influenzae and identification of a putative epidemic clone. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 15, 410–414 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01690101

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