Changing carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis among university students during the first week of term: cross sectional study

Neal, Keith

doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7238.846

Cited by 126 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(16 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In the two studies, 86 and 68%, respectively, of cases of disease in college students were caused by serogroups that are included in the quadrivalent polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines. University students in the United Kingdom have high rates of meningococcal infection, but most infections in that setting were caused by serogroup B strains (251,252). Permanent sequelae are common among college students surviving meningococcal infection (95).…”

Section: Risk Factors For Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for Vaccine Prevention of Meningococcal Infection

2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY Neisseria meningitidis is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States and worldwide. A serogroup A/C/W-135/Y polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine has been licensed in the United States since 1981 but has not been used universally outside of the military. On 14 January 2005, a polysaccharide conjugate vaccine that covers meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135, and Y was licensed in the United States for 11- to 55-year-olds and is now recommended for the routine immunization of adolescents and other high-risk groups. This review covers the changing epidemiology of meningococcal disease in the United States, issues related to vaccine prevention, and recommendations on the use of the new vaccine.

show abstract

Section: Risk Factors For Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for Vaccine Prevention of Meningococcal Infection

2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is the most common cause of pyogenic meningitis, and causes outbreaks of invasive disease. A number of such outbreaks have recently been reported at universities in the United Kingdom (12), where the rates of asymptomatic carriage are known to be particularly high (30). The worldwide incidence of meningococcal infections is increasing, particularly those due to serogroup B, for which there is no available vaccine.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses Elicited by Meningococcal Carriage

Robinson

Neal²,

Howard

et al. 2002

Infect Immun

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to study the immune response elicited by asymptomatic carriage of Neisseria meningitidis, samples of serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and saliva were collected from a cohort of more than 200 undergraduate students in Nottingham, United Kingdom, who were subject to high rates of acquisition and carriage of meningococci. Serum immunoglobulin G levels were elevated following increases in the rate of carriage, and these responses were specific for the colonizing strains. ؉ CD4 ؉ population, leading to the conclusion that an unbiased T-helper subset response was elicited by meningococcal carriage.

show abstract

“…Rates of Ͼ50% have been detected in the semienclosed, close-contact populations of army training camps and university halls of residence (9,21). Circulating strains can be characterized by serological or molecular typing methods.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence, Replacement, and Rapid Clonal Expansion of Meningococcal Carriage Isolates in a 2008 University Student Cohort

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A study of meningococcal carriage dynamics was performed with a cohort of 190 first-year students recruited from six residential halls at Nottingham University, United Kingdom. Pharyngeal swabs were obtained on four occasions between November 2008 and May 2009. Direct plating and culture on selective media were succeeded by identification and characterization of meningococci using PCR-based methodologies. Three serogroup Y clones and one serogroup 29E clone were highly prevalent in particular residential halls in November 2008, which is indicative of rapid clonal expansion since the start of the academic year. Persistent carriage of the same meningococcal strain for at least 5 to 6 months was observed in 45% of carriers, with infrequent evidence of antigenic variation in PorA. Sequential carriage of heterologous meningococcal strains occurred in 36% of carriers and involved strains with different capsules and antigenic variants of PorA and FetA in 83% of the cases. These clonal replacement strains also exhibited frequent differences in the presence and antigenic structures of two other surface proteins, NadA and HmbR. This study highlights the low level of antigenic variation associated with persistent carriage but, conversely, the importance of alterations in the repertoire of antigenic variants for sequential carriage of meningococcal strains. Rapid clonal expansion of potentially pathogenic strains in residential halls has implications for the implementation of public health interventions in university populations.

show abstract

Changing carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis among university students during the first week of term: cross sectional study

Abstract: Objective To determine the rates of, and risk factors for, meningococcal carriage and acquisition among university students.

Cited by 126 publications

References 15 publications

Prospects for Vaccine Prevention of Meningococcal Infection

Prospects for Vaccine Prevention of Meningococcal Infection

Characterization of Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses Elicited by Meningococcal Carriage

Persistence, Replacement, and Rapid Clonal Expansion of Meningococcal Carriage Isolates in a 2008 University Student Cohort

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About