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Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage
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Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage

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Epidemiology, surveillance, and population biology : carriage studies

K Cartwright1

  • 1Public Health Laboratory, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, UK.

Methods in Molecular Medicine
|February 22, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Meningococcal strains from invasive disease cases were more often typable than those from asymptomatic carriers, highlighting bacterial variations in disease development. This research aids understanding of meningococcal disease transmission and host interaction.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis causes meningitis and invasive diseases.
  • Nasopharyngeal carriage is a crucial step in meningococcal disease development.
  • Carrier state is more frequent than invasive disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the significance of bacterial variations in meningococcal disease.
  • To understand the relationship between bacterial typing and disease outcome.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of Neisseria meningitidis from patients and contacts.
  • Serological typing of meningococcal strains.
  • Comparison of typability between strains from invasive disease and asymptomatic carriers.

Main Results:

  • Strains from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or blood of invasive disease patients were more typable.
  • Strains from nasopharyngeal carriers were less frequently typable.
  • Typability correlated with the clinical outcome of meningococcal infection.

Conclusions:

  • Bacterial characteristics, indicated by typability, play a role in meningococcal disease invasiveness.
  • Typing systems are valuable for understanding meningococcal epidemiology.
  • Further research into bacterial factors influencing disease is warranted.

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