biostudies-literatureUnknown14Slavinska A<h4>Introduction</h4><i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> is a gram-negative bacterium responsible for life-threatening invasive infections known as invasive meningococcal disease and is associated with high fatality rates and serious lifelong disabilities among survivors.<h4>Methods</h4>This study aimed to characterize <i>N. meningitidis</i> isolates cultured from blood and cerebrospinal fluid collected between 2009 and 2021 in Lithuania, assess their genomic relationships with European strains, and evaluate the possibility of using a cost-effective method for strain characterization, thus improving the national molecular surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease. In total, 321 <i>N. meningitidis</i> isolates were collected and analyzed using multilocus restriction typing (MLRT). AmplificatFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology1432197https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11513629biostudies-literatureGenetic characterization of <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> isolates recovered from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Lithuania.PMC11513629Tamosiuniene KSlavinska AVizuje GKuisiene NKirkliauskiene ASiedlecki PPetrutiene AKowalczyk MBikulciene JfalseGenetic characterization of <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> isolates recovered from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Lithuania.<h4>Introduction</h4><i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> is a gram-negative bacterium responsible for life-threatening invasive infections known as invasive meningococcal disease and is associated with high fatality rates and serious lifelong disabilities among survivors.<h4>Methods</h4>This study aimed to characterize <i>N. meningitidis</i> isolates cultured from blood and cerebrospinal fluid collected between 2009 and 2021 in Lithuania, assess their genomic relationships with European strains, and evaluate the possibility of using a cost-effective method for strain characterization, thus improving the national molecular surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease. In total, 321 <i>N. meningitidis</i> isolates were collected and analyzed using multilocus restriction typing (MLRT). Amplificat2024-01-01T00:00:00Z20242026-07-15T17:42:20.156Z2025-04-04T00:29:38.39ZS-EPMC115136293946945510.3389/fcimb.2024.1432197