Lack of immunity in university students before an outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal infection.
Immunity to meningococci was determined in infected and uninfected students before and during an outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal infection at a university in the United Kingdom. No immunity against the outbreak strain was detected in serum taken from infected students prior to the outbreak or at the time of admission; bactericidal activity developed during convalescence. Carriage of all strains of serogroup C meningococci in asymptomatic students was low (0.9%), and no carriage of the outbreak strain could be detected. Immunity in the at-risk student population before the outbreak was low: 90% of students had no significant bactericidal activity against the outbreak strain. A low prevalence of carriage of the outbreak strain, together with a low prevalence of protective immunity within the student population, was associated with a high incidence of invasive disease in those who acquired the outbreak strain.
Jones
G R
GR
Public Health Laboratory, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom. graeme.jones@suht.swest.nhs.uk
Williams
J N
JN
Christodoulides
M
M
Jolley
K
K
Heckels
J E
JE
D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities