{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T00:59:44Z","timestamp":1760057984975,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,6]],"date-time":"2025-03-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741219200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Grand Challenge Ethiopia","award":["AH0\/0\/006\/0028\/20","ARISE-PP-FA-050"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AH0\/0\/006\/0028\/20","ARISE-PP-FA-050"]}]},{"name":"European Union through the African Academy of Sciences","award":["AH0\/0\/006\/0028\/20","ARISE-PP-FA-050"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AH0\/0\/006\/0028\/20","ARISE-PP-FA-050"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objective: Bacteriological culture has been a widely used method for the detection of meningococcus, but it has low sensitivity and a long turnaround time. Molecular detection targeting capsule transport A (ctrA) gene has been used, but over 16% of meningococcal carriage isolates lack ctrA, resulting in false-negative reports. The Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase gene (sodC) is specific to N. meningitidis, and is not found in other Neisseria species, making it a useful target for improved detection of non-groupable meningococci without intact ctrA. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the performance compassion of two in-house PCR methods, sodC gene- and ctrA gene-based PCR assays, for detecting N. meningitidis in asymptomatic carriers. The secondary objective was to assess antimicrobial resistance profiling of N. meningitidis isolates. Methods: The performance of sodC gene-based PCR assay compared to ctrA gene-based PCR for detection of N. meningitidis was evaluated using clinical samples (pharyngeal swabs; n = 137) collected from suspected asymptomatic carriers and culture-confirmed meningococci isolates (n = 49). Additionally, the antimicrobial sensitivity of the 49 isolates against antimicrobial drugs was determined using a disk diffusion test. Result: Of 49 DNA samples from culture-positive N. meningitidis isolates, the sodC gene-based PCR accurately identified all 49, whereas the ctrA gene-based PCR identified only 33 out of 49. Of 137 pharyngeal swabs, the sodC gene-based assay detected N. meningitidis DNA in 105 (76.6%), while the ctrA-based assay detected N. meningitidis DNA in 64 (46.7%). Out of the 49 N. meningitidis isolates, 43 (87.8%) were resistant to amoxicillin, 42 (83.7%) to ampicillin, 32 (65.3%) to trimethoprim\u2013sulfamethoxazole, 22 (44.9%) to ceftazidime, 18 (36.7%) to ceftriaxone, and 7 (15.2%) to meropenem. Additionally, the majority of the isolates, 36 (73.5%), were sensitive to cefepime, 31 (63.3%) to ceftriaxone and meropenem, and 26 (53.1%) to ceftazidime. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the necessity of adopting non-capsular sodC-based PCR to replace ctrA in resource-constrained laboratories to improve N. meningitidis detection, and underscore the importance of periodic antimicrobial resistance surveillance to inform and adapt treatment strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics15050637","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,6]],"date-time":"2025-03-06T06:02:13Z","timestamp":1741240933000},"page":"637","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Performance Comparison of Two In-House PCR Methods for Detecting Neisseria meningitidis in Asymptomatic Carriers and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiling"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Mekonnen","family":"Atimew","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"},{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo P.O. Box 138, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melaku","family":"Yidenekachew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marchegn","family":"Yimer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9333-635X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ashenafi","family":"Alemu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4118-8260","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dawit","family":"Hailu Alemayehu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tadelo","family":"Wondimagegn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar P.O. Box 196, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fitsumbiran","family":"Tajebe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar P.O. Box 196, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gashaw","family":"Adane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar P.O. Box 196, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0696-3786","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tesfaye","family":"Gelanew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7273-7333","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Getachew Tesfaye","family":"Beyene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1005, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1016\/S0255-0857(21)02464-6","article-title":"Meningococcal Disease: History, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Prevention","volume":"24","author":"Manchanda","year":"2006","journal-title":"Indian J. Med. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"B\u00e5rnes, G.K., Kristiansen, P.A., Beyene, D., Workalemahu, B., Fissiha, P., Merdekios, B., Bohlin, J., Pr\u00e9ziosi, M.-P., Aseffa, A., and Caugant, D.A. (2016). Prevalence and Epidemiology of Meningococcal Carriage in Southern Ethiopia Prior to Implementation of MenAfriVac, a Conjugate Vaccine. BMC Infect. 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