She is Co-PI for IMPACT’s Invasive Meningococcal Selleckchem JNJ 26481585 Surveillance project. She was involved with conception and design of the invasive meningococcal surveillance project and the study reported here as well as data acquisition. She analyzed and interpreted the data and wrote and revised the submitted manuscript. D.W. Scheifele is the IMPACT Data Center Director and Co-PI for IMPACT’s Invasive Meningococcal Surveillance project. He was involved with conception and design of the meningococcal surveillance project and the study reported here as well as data acquisition and interpretation of the data. He revised and approved

the submitted manuscript. S.A. Halperin is one of two Co-PIs for the IMPACT surveillance network. He was involved with conception and design of the meningococcal surveillance project and the study reported here as well as data acquisition. He revised and approved the submitted manuscript. W. Vaudry is the second of Ku-0059436 supplier two Co-PIs for the IMPACT surveillance network. She was involved with conception and design of the meningococcal surveillance project, the study reported here and data acquisition. She revised and approved the submitted manuscript. J. Findlow was responsible

for characterizing the serogroup B isolates by MATS and sequencing fHbp, NHBA and NadA at the Health Protection Agency. He revised and approved the submitted manuscript. R. Borrow was responsible for characterizing the serogroup B isolates by MATS and sequencing fHbp, NHBA and NadA at the Health Protection Agency and was involved with interpretation of the data. He revised and approved the submitted manuscript. D. Medini provided access to and explanation of the laboratory and statistical methods used in the Plikaytis et al. inter-laboratory study and the Donnelly et al. MATS manuscript. He revised and approved the submitted manuscript.

CYTH4 R. Tsang is responsible for the maintenance of the IMPACT N. meningitidis isolate collection at the National Microbiology Laboratory. He was responsible for the serogroup and sequencing typing of the serogroup B isolates and was involved with interpretation of the data. He revised and approved the submitted manuscript. Conflicts of interest: JAB: ad-hoc Advisory Boards (Novartis Vaccines, Canada) and speaker honoraria (Novartis Vaccines, Pfizer Inc., Baxter Inc.). SAH: ad-hoc Advisory Board for Novartis Vaccines, Canada and speaker honoraria in the past year (Novartis Vaccines). DWS: ad hoc Advisory Board for Novartis Vaccines, Canada. WV: Data Safety and Monitoring Board, Novartis Vaccines. RB has performed contract research on behalf of the Health Protection Agency for Baxter Biosciences, GSK, Novartis, Merck, Pfizer and Sanofi Pasteur.