Comparamos os resultados obtidos por meio de sorotipagem com o painel de mAbs acrescido dos mAbs para os sorotipos 7 e 10 , produzidos pelo Instituto Adolfo Lutz com os resultados obtidos pela ribotipagem. O estudo incluiu 95 cepas pertencentes ao sorogrupo B que expressaram o sorotipo 4, representados pelos fenótipos B:4; B;4,1; B:4,7; B:4,10 e B:4,21. A ribotipagem utilizando a endonuclease de restrição C/a\ dividiu as cepas em dez ribotipos e a endonuclease EcoRV em outros cinco padrões. Quando os padrões de bandas foram combinados, formaram-se 12 ribotipos (Rb A-L). Ribotipos com 85% de similaridade entre as bandas foram combinados em grupos, Rb-1, incluindo os ribotipos C e D (sorotipo B:4,10) e Rb-2, incluindo os ribotipos A, B, E, F e I (sorotipo B:4,7). O Rb-H (sorotipo B:4,1) e Rb-G (sorotipo B:4,21) representaram distintos ribotipos diferindo dos dois primeiros grupos por mais de 25% de diferença entre as bandas. Nossos resultados sugerem que a caracterização de múltiplos epítopos de sorotipo podem melhorar a correlação entre o método fenotípico e genotípico para cepas de meningococo sorogrupo B.

The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between phenotypic- and genotypic- methods for typing Neisseria meningitidis. We compare the results obtained by serotyping of PorB epitopes using an expanded panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) including MAb 7 and MAb 10, with results obtained by RFLP of rRNA genes (ribotyping). The study included a total of 95 serogroup B strains that express epitope 4 representing the phenotypes B:4; B:4,1; B:4,7; B:4, 10, and B:4,21. The ribotypes obtained using C/ai or EcoRV endonucleases divided the strains into ten and five different patterns, respectively. When banding patterns for the two enzymes were combined, twelve unique ribotypes were obtained (Rb A-L). Particular ribotypes with ≥ 85% identical bands were combined into groups, RbGroup1, including Rbs C and D (B:4,10 strains), and RbGroup-2 including Rbs A, B, E, F, and I (B:4,7 strains). The Rb-H (B:4,1 strains) and Rb-G (B:4,21 strains) represent distinct ribotypes differing from the first two groups by more than 25% of band mismatches. The phenotypic characterization of more than one PorB VR epitope on the same PorB protein was able to divide our collection of B:4 strains in groups of strains genetic related. This additional characterization of PorB epitopes improved the correlation between these two methods of typing N.meningitidis.