Association of Meningococcal Serotypes with the Course of Disease: Serotypes 2a and 2b in the Netherlands, 1959-1981

Case histories of 692 patients with meningococcal disease due to serogroup B, C, or W (W-135)were reviewed to study the association of the serotypes 2a and 2b with the course of disease. The case-fatality rate in group B disease was significantly associated with serotype 2b (B:2b) strains ( P = 0.03). Age and year of admission did not account for this association. Septicemia was also found more frequently with B:2b than with other B serotypes, but neurological complications and sequelae were not. Neither C:2a nor W:2a was associated with a higher case-fatality rate, with more cases of septicem... Mehr ...