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    Pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria lactamica in households with infants within areas with high and low incidences of meningococcal disease
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    Abstract:
    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).
    Keywords:
    Carriage
    Neisseriaceae
    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)
    Nasopharyngeal swabbing substantially underestimates carriage of Neisseria meningitidis. Real-time PCR assays were employed to examine the presence of a broad range of bacteria and of N. meningitidis groups B and C, respectively, in tonsils from 26 individuals from Oxford, England, and 72 individuals from Zurich, Switzerland. The detection limit of each PCR system was DNA from one bacterial cell per reaction mixture. Tonsillar DNA did not inhibit amplification of meningococcal gene sequences, and N. meningitidis was detected in tonsils exposed to the bacterium. Whereas in both sets of patients other bacteria were detected, N. meningitidis group B and group C were only found in tonsils from Oxford where the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease is much higher than in Zurich. These observations suggest that PCR-based methods could be used for the detection of meningococcal carriage and that difference in disease incidence could be explained by different transmission rates in the community rather than host genetics or coexisting infections.
    Carriage
    Neisseriaceae
    Neisseria
    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)
    Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis was used to characterize 378 isolates of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C recovered during a period of an increase in group C meningococcal disease in Canada. Thirty-four enzyme electrophoretic types were found among the isolates, which were predominantly (96.0%) serotype 2a. One clone (ET 15), characterized by a rarely occurring allele for the enzyme fumarase, was responsible for a focal outbreak in Ontario followed by the spread of group C disease across the province. This clone, which occurred infrequently among strains isolated in 1986, accounted for over 65% of group C strains associated with meningococcal disease in Canada in 1990.
    Neisseriaceae
    clone (Java method)
    Molecular Epidemiology
    ABSTRACT Nosocomial transmission of Neisseria meningitidis has only rarely been reported. Here, we present a significant spatiotemporal association of two cases of invasive meningococcal disease identified by retrospective cluster analysis with the program SaTScan. The most likely epidemiological link was simultaneous hospitalization, resulting in indirect nosocomial transmission.
    Neisseriaceae
    Meningococcal Infections
    Disease Transmission
    Neisseria
    Citations (12)
    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