Antigenic and genetic variation in XXXX serogroup 6.

@entity71983 @entity2115 @entity2114
@entity71983 serogroup 6 is second in importance only to @entity2114 serogroup 1 as a cause of @entity2115 . Monoclonal antibody (MAb) reactivity and multilocus enzyme electrophoretic analyses were used to subtype serogroup 6 isolates as a potential aid for epidemiologic and virulence studies. Forty-eight serogroup 6 isolates submitted to the Centers for Disease Control from 1980 to 1985 were examined by these methods. The isolates were divided into two groups based on differential reactivity with two MAbs. Thirty-two of the isolates were of a single electrophoretic type (ET) and were reactive with both MAbs. The remaining 16 isolates were distributed among 10 ETs and were reactive with one or both MAbs. The mean genetic diversity for serogroup 6, as determined from the degree of variability at 20 enzyme loci, was found to be essentially the same as that for @entity71983 as a whole. The ETs of serogroup 6 isolates were unique but closely related genetically to the ETs of @entity71983 serogroups 1 to 5, 7, and 8. The range of serogroup 6 subtypes distinguished by MAbs and enzyme electrophoresis suggests that the combination of these two methods can be useful as a typing system.
