The prevalence of Neisseria meningitidis during endemic conditions was studied in 2 groups of people: (1) 64 family members to patients with meningococcal disease, and (2) 64 family members to patients with meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae or Streptococcus pneumoniae. In group 1 the carrier rate of meningococci of the same serogroup, sensitivity to sulphonamide, and serotype (group B) as the index strain was 34%. The carrier rate of meningococci group A, B, C and Y was 39% in group 1 and 1.6% in group 2. The 25 times higher carrier rate in group 1 gives some explanation of the increased risk for family members to patients with meningococcal disease. This risk was calculated to have been 3,000-4,000 times higher for the family members during one month after the diagnosis of an index case 1965-1977 in our county. The hypothesis that meningococci as a rule are introduced into a family by an adult and then spread within the family to a child finds no support in the present study. A statistically highly significant association was found between carriage of pathogenic meningococci and symptoms from the upper respiratory tract.

SUMMARY Nine patients with Crohn's disease and six healthy individuals were given 400 mg metronidazole twice daily and the concentration was measured in plasma and faeces 6 to 8 h after intake. Quantitative and qualitative bacteriological examinations were performed before and during treatment. The concentrations of metronidazole in plasma varied between 5 and 30 mg/l as measured by liquid chromatography (LC) and between 3 and 20 mg/l as measured by a bioassay (BA) method. There were no significant differences between the results of the two methods in patients but compared with BA the LC values were regularly lower in the healthy subjects.Metronidazole was detected in the faeces of most patients. These findings coincided with a significant reduction of Bacteroides spp in their faeces which was not apparent in healthy individuals in whom metronidazole was not detected in the faeces. Higher faecal metronidazole concentrations were found in patients with active disease and a total colon involvement as compared with the patients with a more quiescent disease and involvement of ileum and ascending colon only.

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SUMMARY Different specimens and techniques have been used in the diagnosis of carriers of Neisseria meningitidis, reflecting the uncertainty about the optimal diagnostic procedure. In the present investigation the culture yield of meningococci from throat specimens was compared to that from nasopharyngeal specimens in 178 persons: 44 carriers were diagnosed. All of them were detected by culture of throat specimens while 34% of them would have remained undiagnosed if only nasopharyngeal specimens had been examined. Storage of throat specimens in a transport medium for 24 hours before culture gave a negative culture for meningococci in 41 % of the carriers. This loss was surprisingly high, the reasons for which are discussed.