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Visualisation and Quantification of Intracellular Interactions of Neisseria meningitidis and Human α-actinin by Confocal Imaging
12:58

Visualisation and Quantification of Intracellular Interactions of Neisseria meningitidis and Human α-actinin by Confocal Imaging

Published on: October 24, 2010

Carriage of Neisseria meningitidis: investigations in a military establishment

J V Pether1, N F Lightfoot, R J Scott

  • 1Public Health Laboratory Service, Taunton Hospital, Musgrove Park Branch.

Epidemiology and Infection
|August 1, 1988
PubMed

Insights

A study found 23% of naval personnel carried meningococcus. Repeated swabbing and optimal methods are crucial for accurately determining meningococcus carriage rates in populations.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis is a significant human pathogen.
  • Understanding meningococcal carriage is crucial for controlling outbreaks.
  • Previous carriage rate estimations may be inaccurate.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of meningococcal carriage in a Royal Naval Air Station population.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of different swabbing methods for identifying carriers.
  • To investigate the persistence of specific meningococcal strains within a population.

Main Methods:

  • Prevalence study involving 2479 naval personnel.
  • Monthly serial swabbing of selected personnel over one year.
  • Utilized optimal swabbing techniques and enrichment media for bacterial isolation.

Main Results:

  • Identified a 23.0% prevalence of meningococcal carriage.
  • Demonstrated that repeated swabbing with optimal methods is essential for accurate carriage rate determination.
  • Repeatedly isolated a presumed virulent strain (Neisseria meningitidis B15 P1.16) from asymptomatic individuals and their close contacts.

Conclusions:

  • Accurate meningococcal carriage rate assessment requires rigorous and repeated sampling.
  • The study highlights the asymptomatic carriage of potentially virulent strains.
  • Further research is needed to understand the virulence factors of Neisseria meningitidis.

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