logo
    Single Dose Ofloxacin in the Eradication of Pharyngeal Carriage of Neisseria meningitidis
    6
    Citation
    1
    Reference
    10
    Related Paper
    Citation Trend
    In a school outbreak of meningococcal disease in Wales, we compared risk factors for the carriage of Neisseria meningitidis B15 P1.16 with carriage of any meningococci. Students had throat swabs and completed a questionnaire. Sixty (7.9%) carried meningococci; risk for carriage was higher in those >14 years of age.
    Carriage
    Throat
    Neisseriaceae
    Multilocus sequence typing
    Neisseria
    Citations (25)
    Deprivation is associated with an increased risk of invasive Neisseria meningitidis disease, but little is known about the relationship between deprivation and asymptomatic carriage of N. meningitidis. This analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between meningococcal carriage and deprivation.As part of a rapid meningococcal carriage prevalence study conducted in West Cumbria to investigate an apparent cluster of invasive meningococcal disease, data were collected on lifestyle and social factors, including area-level indicators of socioeconomic status, to identify factors associated with meningococcal carriage.In a multivariable log binomial regression model adjusted for age, lower socioeconomic status was significantly associated with higher prevalence of meningococcal carriage. A 1-unit increase in Index of Multiple Deprivation (2010) score was associated with a 1.7% increase in meningococcal carriage prevalence (95% confidence interval 0.3-3.0%). Age was the only significant predictor of carriage of Neisseria lactamica.Living in a deprived area is associated with increased carriage of Group B meningococcus. Deprivation is an important factor to consider in the evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the introduction of new meningococcal B vaccines and the development and implementation of immunization policies. Further work is required to understand whether deprivation has an effect on meningococcal carriage through other factors such as smoking.
    Carriage
    Neisseriaceae
    Cross-sectional study
    Citations (10)
    Introduction. Colonization by Neisseria meningitidis is the pre-requisite for the development of disease. We present the findings of a cross-sectional investigation onto the oropharyngeal carriage of N. meningitidis and Neisseria species in the population aged 3 to 21 in Paraguay. Aim. Carriage prevalence by age groups, risk factors associated with carriage, and phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of strains are described. Methodology. We collected 2011 oropharyngeal swabs from consenting participants aged 3–21 years. Infants were recruited at immunization clinics, and older children and young adults were identified at schools and universities. A single oropharyngeal swab was collected and processed for the identification and isolation of Neisseria . Additionally, participants, or their legal guardian if these were minors, were requested to fill a standardized questionnaire. Results. N. meningitidis was isolated in 42/2011 (2.1 %) participants, while other Neisseria spp. were identified in 306/2011 (15.2 %) subjects: N. cinerea and N. lactamica were identified in 39/2011 (1.9 %) and 43/2011 (2.2 %), respectively. Meningococcal strains belonged to ten different clonal complexes, of which six are associated with invasive disease (ST-32/ET5 complex, ST-11/ET37 complex, ST-103 complex, ST-167 complex, ST-35 complex and ST-41/44 complex/lineage 3). Conclusion. Prevalence of N. meningitidis carriage was low compared to that reported from other settings, however, the overall carriage of Neisseria spp. (including N. meningitidis ) was comparable to meningococcal carriage prevalence reported in the literature. This study is the first of its kind conducted in Paraguay, and one of the few known in the Southern Cone of Latin America.
    Carriage
    Neisseria
    Citations (14)
    In a household survey in the Faroe Islands, an isolated community with hyperendemic occurrence of meningococcal disease due to serogroup B 15, 1604 persons were examined for pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and N. lactamica. Two areas were chosen having experienced high (HIA), and two having experienced low incidences (LIA) of disease. Living in HIA compared with LIA was associated with higher risk of N. meningitidis B 15 carriage and lower risk of N. lactamica carriage, with odds ratios of 2.7 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-5.1, P = 0.003) and 0.41 (95% CI 0.31-0.53, P less than 0.0001), respectively. In HIA the risk of N. meningitidis carriage was much lower in non-carriers than carriers of N. lactamica, with an odds ratio of 0.19 (95% CI 0.08-0.47, P = 0.0003); in LIA this association (odds ratio 0.51, P = 0.05) was much weaker. Children 0-14 years had substantially higher risk of being carriers of N. meningitidis group B 15 if the mothers were so, with an odds ratio of 11 (95% CI 4-29, P less than 0.0001).
    Carriage
    Neisseriaceae
    Citations (64)
    This chapter will describe the use of organ cultures of human nasopharyngeal mucosa to study the interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with this complex tissue. Colonization of nasopharyngeal mucosa is the first step in the pathogenesis of meningococcal disease. Supporting evidence for this is the correlation between the prevalence of community carriage and the occurrence of meningococcal disease (1). During nonepidemic periods, the baseline prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of meningococci is 5-10% but is considerably higher in certain populations such as military personnel (2), and in households of cases (3). There are a number of influences on the acquisition of meningococcal carriage; these include smoking (4) but not season (5). It is possible that coincident viral infections may affect acquisition of meningococ cal carriage (6,7). There is good evidence that genetic factors are involved, as some individuals appear resistant to acquisition of carriage, while others chronically or intermittently carry N. meningitidis (8). Carriage of the organism also appears to be associated with secretor status (9). The precise site within the nasopharynx that Neisseria meningitidis colonizes and invades is not known. However, during natural carriage, the organism can be isolated both from the rhinopharynx and from the throat (10).
    Carriage
    Throat
    Neisseriaceae
    Neisseria
    Citations (3)
    Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) represents a potentially life-threatening condition caused by Neisseria meningitidis. The disease is characterized by a case fatality rate of 5-10% whereas serious clinical sequelae can develop in survivors within 12-24 h from the first symptoms. However, IMD infection only occurs rarely, in fact, most of the interactions established between N. meningitidis and the host are harmless, and an estimated 10% of the population asymptomatically carries the bacterium in the nasopharynx. Meningococcal carriage represents a critical condition for IMD onset since it represents the first step for disease transmission. Furthermore, high levels of carriage can promote genetic recombination among different N. meningitidis strains potentially leading to the development of new pathogenic variants. Areas covered: The present review discusses N. meningitidis carriage, factors able to influence meningococcal carriage and disease and the effect of vaccinations on both conditions, with a particular focus on Italy. Expert commentary: Data regarding the effect of different meningococcal vaccines on N. meningitidis carriage are available, whereas further studies are needed to investigate the positive impact of the two recently licensed vaccines 4CMenB and rLP2086 on meningococcal carriage.
    Carriage
    Case fatality rate
    Meningococcal vaccine
    Abstract Objective To review the findings of studies of pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and related species conducted in the African meningitis belt since a previous review published in 2007. Methods PubMed and Web of Science were searched in July 2018 using the terms ‘meningococcal OR Neisseria meningitidis OR lactamica AND carriage AND Africa’, with the search limited to papers published on or after 1st January 2007. We conducted a narrative review of these publications. Results One hundred and thirteen papers were identified using the search terms described above, 20 of which reported new data from surveys conducted in an African meningitis belt country. These papers described 40 surveys conducted before the introduction of the group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac R ) during which 66 707 pharyngeal swabs were obtained. Carriage prevalence of N. meningitidis varied substantially by time and place, ranging from <1% to 24%. The mean pharyngeal carriage prevalence of N. meningitidis across all surveys was 4.5% [95% CI : 3.4%, 6.8%] and that of capsulated N. meningitidis was 2.8% [95% CI : 1.9%; 5.2%]. A study of households provided strong evidence for meningococcal transmission within and outside households. The introduction of MenAfriVac ® led to marked reductions in carriage of the serogroup A meningococcus in Burkina Faso and Chad. Conclusions Recent studies employing standardised methods confirm the findings of older studies that carriage of N. meningitidis in the African meningitis belt is highly variable over time and place, but generally occurs with a lower prevalence and shorter duration than reported from industrialised countries.
    Carriage
    Meningococcal vaccine
    Meningococcal meningitis
    Neisseriaceae
    Neisseria
    Citations (10)
    Background Serum bactericidal antibody titres that correlate with protection against invasive meningococcal disease have been characterised. However, titres that are associated with protection against acquisition of pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis are not known. Methods Sera were obtained from the members of a household in seven countries of the African meningitis belt in which a pharyngeal carrier of N. meningitidis had been identified during a cross-sectional survey. Serum bactericidal antibody titres at baseline were compared between individuals in the household of the carrier who became a carrier of a meningococcus of the same genogroup during six months of subsequent follow-up and household members who did not become a carrier of a meningococcus of this genogroup during this period. Results Serum bacterial antibody titres were significantly higher in carriers of a serogroup W or Y meningococcus at the time of recruitment than in those who were not a carrier of N. meningitidis of the same genogroup. Serum bactericidal antibody titres to a strain of N. meningitis of the same genogroup as the index cases were no different in individuals who acquired carriage with a meningococcus of the same genogroup as the index case than in those who did not become a carrier during six months of follow-up. Conclusion Serum bacterial antibody titres to N. meningitidis of genogroup W or Y in the range of those acquired by natural exposure to meningococci of these genogroups, or with cross-reactive bacteria, are not associated with protection against acquisition of carriage with meningococci of either of these genogroups.
    Carriage
    Neisseriaceae