Prevalence of Neisseria meningitidis Carriage with Identification of Serogroups and Genogroups in Professional Soldiers

Abstract

The article presents the prevalence of Neisseria meningitidis carriage with the identification of sero- and genogroups in professional soldiers serving in the Polish Armed Forces. A total of 1246 soldiers from the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade in Świętoszów, Poland were examined in the period January-February 2016. Microbiological tests were performed using standard methods (culture, incubation, microscopy, biochemical, and automated identification with VITEK cards). Neisseria meningitidis isolates from carriers were subjected to a slide agglutination test for the identification of serogroups, next bacterial DNA was isolated and genogroups were identified based on the results of PCR. Of the 1246 soldiers tested, 65 were found to be carriers of N. meningitidis. Serogroups of 36 isolates and genogroups of 56 meningococcal isolates were determined. The genogrouping identified the isolates as belonging to group B (n = 34; 52.3 %), E29 (n = 8; 12.3 %), C (n = 6; 9.2 %), Y (n = 6; 9.2 %), and W (n = 2; 3.1 %). The primers which were used did not make it possible to determine the genogroup of nine isolates. In conclusion, the overall carrier rate of N. meningitidis amounted to 5.2 %, with the serogroup B being predominant, which is similar to that reported in the general population in Poland and Central Europe.

Evaluation of Neisseria meningitidis Carriage with the Analysis of Serogroups, Genogroups and Clonal Complexes among Polish Soldiers

“…The studies with the participation of Polish military personnel demonstrated that meningococcal carriage incidence was lower in older soldiers; the results are consistent with the available research findings (Taha 2000;Tzeng and Stephens 2000;Caugant et al 2009;Soriano-Gabarro et al 2011). Another factor associated with an increased risk for meningococcal carriage was found to be tobacco smoking (Blackwell et al 1990;Caugant et al 1992;Korzeniewski et al 2017). The studies by Caugant et al (1988) demonstrated that hypervirulent N. meningitidis strains rarely colonize the nasopharyngeal mucosa of carriers.…”

“…Many of Polish and European publications on the N. meningitidis carriage incidence are limited to military environment (Chapalain et al 1992;Tyski et al 2000;Korzeniewski et al 2015). According to the research findings, meningococcal carriage is high among conscripted soldiers serving in European armies, whereas among profes-sional soldiers it was found to be like the carriage rates observed in the general population (Korzeniewski et al 2017). Meningococcal carriage studies conducted among military personnel also revealed that serogroup B was the most prevalent (Taha 2000).…”

“…Professional soldiers, on the other hand, typically work 8 hours a day and they are accommodated outside the military facilities (professional military service has changed to a regular job, with risk factors similar to those observed in the civilian environment). Another factor contributing to decreasing of meningococcal carriage prevalence was raise of the age of soldiers (19-20 year old recruits vs. professional privates who usually begin their military career at the age of 25-30 years old) (Korzeniewski et al 2017). Meningococcal vaccination may also have a positive impact on reducing carriage prevalence of N. meningitidis and lowering the number of new IMD cases; however, its effectiveness varies depending on the type of vaccine used, with conjugate vaccines being the most effective (Decker 2016).…”

“…The first study presenting the general prevalence of N. meningitidis carriage in professional soldiers in Poland was conducted in winter season of 2016. The overall carrier rate among 1246 soldiers from the Armoured Brigade amounted to 5.2% (single examination), with the serogroup B being predominant (Korzeniewski et al 2017).…”

Observational study of nasopharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in applicants to a military academy in the Russian Federation

“…This study identified a carriage prevalence of 16% for N. meningitidis in those entering a military college in the Russian Federation, and similar rates have been seen in recruits entering a military setting in Greece (15%) (Tryfinopoulou et al, 2016) and Poland (16-24%) (Tyski et al, 2001), with lower carriage rates seen for recruits entering a military setting in Turkey (4.2%) (Celal Basustaoglu et al, 2011) and Iran (8%) (Ataee et al, 2016) and professional soldiers in Poland (5.2% and 9.6%) (Korzeniewski et al, 2017;Korzeniewski et al, 2015). It was anticipated that the carriage rate would increase after recruitment while the recruits resided in a semi-closed environment as these populations are at higher risk for outbreaks of meningococcal disease (Aguilera et al, 2002;Brundage et al, 2002; National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), 2017); while a study of the change in carriage rate in students identified a rapid increase on entering university (Neal et al, 2000).…”