Viable Neisseria meningitidis is commonly present in saliva in healthy young adults: Non-invasive sampling and enhanced sensitivity of detection in a follow-up carriage study in Portuguese students

Introduction and aims Improved sensitivity and efficiency of detection and quantification of carriage of Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) in young people is important for evaluation of the impact of vaccines upon transmission and associated population-wide effects. Saliva collection is quick, non-invasive and facilitates frequent sampling, but has been reported to yield low sensitivity by culture. We re-evaluated this approach in a follow-up cross sectional study using direct and culture-amplified PCR.