Genomic analysis was performed on Neisseria meningitidis isolates from four cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) identified in Italy after travel to Saudi Arabia in 2025. The cases were not epidemiologically related. The isolates from the cases were whole genome sequenced and belonged to serogroup W, sequence type (ST)-11, clonal complex (CC)11 and were susceptible to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, penicillin G and rifampicin. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the four genomes with the Hajj strain sublineage.
Neri et al. (Thu,) studied this question.