CanterburyA nightclub outbreak infected 21 people in a week.
Two people died, and the bacterium’s genetic upgrade could complicate vaccine design worldwide.
The strain picked up genes from two harmless throat bacteria, letting it evade immune cells and harvest iron from blood.
“The incredibly rapid nature of the outbreak was unprecedented,” said Emma Wall, a Queen Mary University of London researcher.
The UK government’s new meningitis B vaccination programme for university-bound students started this September.
Sources: New Scientist