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Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage
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Lessons from meningococcal carriage studies

Dominique A Caugant1, Georgina Tzanakaki, Paula Kriz

  • 1Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Division of Infectious Disease Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. dominique.caugant@fhi.no

FEMS Microbiology Reviews
|January 20, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Neisseria meningitidis carriage is common in young adults, with diverse strains found in carriers compared to disease-causing ones. Understanding carriage is key for managing meningococcal disease and vaccination strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis is a human commensal, typically colonizing the upper respiratory tract without causing illness (carriage).
  • Up to 35% of young adults in Europe can be carriers at any given time.
  • Genetic diversity exists among meningococcal strains from carriers, contrasting with a few hypervirulent strains linked to invasive disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic diversity and pathogenicity of Neisseria meningitidis clones.
  • To understand the epidemiology of meningococcal carriage in Europe.
  • To inform strategies for disease prevention and vaccination.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized molecular methods for clone identification.
  • Analyzed multilocus sequence types (MLST) of isolates from asymptomatic carriers.
  • Leveraged data from the EU-MenNet framework.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in pathogenicity were observed between meningococcal clones.
  • MLST distribution varied among asymptomatic carriers across European countries.
  • Simultaneous carriage of multiple meningococcal strains is rare but occurs.
  • Commensal associations can be long-term, lasting months.

Conclusions:

  • Further research into the carrier state is crucial for understanding meningococcal epidemiology and pathogenesis.
  • Findings support the development and evaluation of mass vaccination strategies against meningococcal disease.

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