Health chiefs warn deadly meningitis strain mutation could be fuelling rapid spread
A deadly strain of meningitis B may have “evolved” and could cause the disease to spread rapidly, health chiefs have warned.
The number of meningitis cases linked to the outbreak in Kent has risen from 27 to 29, the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) said on Thursday. Approximately 2,360 vaccines and 9,840 doses of antibiotics were given to those affected by the epidemic.
However, the outbreak in Canterbury is considered “very unusual” by scientists; because meningitis infection is usually an isolated, one-off case, with only one case per day occurring on average in the UK.
Health officials said samples were taken from meningitis patients in hospitals to analyze the bacteria in the laboratory. They hope to identify the specific variant of the meningitis B strain using genome sequencing.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA), said it was unusual to see such a large number of cases from a single incident.
“There are two possible reasons for this. The first is that it may have something to do with the behavior that individuals engage in,” he said. Times.
“The other possibility is that the bacteria themselves may have evolved to be better at transmission.”
Dr D., senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton. Michael Head also explained that there is not enough information about the type of meningitis B detected and whether there are “some mutations” that cause more serious diseases.
He said: “It’s a difficult pathogen to deal with because there are so many different strains, and in this outbreak it may be that something about that specific serotype is causing it to behave differently, which is why we’re seeing so many severe cases.”
But health chiefs said the Bexsero vaccine used to protect against MenB should protect against the strain identified in the outbreak.
In a statement, the UKHSA said: “As part of the investigations, UKHSA laboratories have completed the first genetic analysis of a strain of meningococcus isolated during this outbreak.
“The results confirmed that the Bexsero vaccine currently offered in Kent should protect against the identified strain.
“This strain belongs to a group of bacteria known as group B meningococci; sequence type 485 belongs to the larger clonal complex ST-41/44.
“Similar strains have been circulating in the UK for about five years but detailed analysis of the outbreak pathogen is required.”
He said he was publishing the available data “so that national and international partners can also conduct further scientific research.”
It comes after the “devastated” family of an 18-year-old girl who died in a meningitis B outbreak in Kent called for a mass rollout of the vaccine.
Juliette Kenny is one of two teenagers confirmed to have died in the “explosive” outbreak.
His family now backs growing calls for the NHS to expand access to the menB vaccine to teenagers and young adults.
The meningitis B vaccine is currently being administered to students and staff at the University of Kent and anyone who has been recommended preventive antibiotics as part of the outbreak.
It has been available on the NHS since 2015 as part of routine childhood vaccinations for babies, but this means many schoolchildren and university students have not been vaccinated against the menB strain.
