Carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in men who have sex with men presenting to public sexual health clinics, New York City.

BACKGROUND We conducted a N. meningitidis (Nm) carriage study among men who have sex with men (MSM) to explore possible sexual transmission. METHODS We paired information on patient characteristics with oropharyngeal, rectal, and urethral Nm culture results to assess associations with Nm carriage among 706 MSM at New York City sexual health clinics. Nm isolates were characterized by whole genome sequencing. RESULTS Twenty-three percent (163/706) of MSM were Nm carriers. Oropharyngeal carriage was 22.6% (159/703), rectal 0.9% (6/695), and urethral 0.4% (3/696). Oropharyngeal carriage was associated with the following recent (past 30 days) exposures: >3 men kissed (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.86), performing oral sex (aRR 1.81; 95% CI 1.04-3.18), and antibiotic use (aRR 0.33; 95% CI 0.19-0.57). Sixteen clonal complexes were identified; 27% belonged to invasive lineages. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that oral sex and the number of recent kissing partners contribute to Nm carriage in MSM.