title: Carriage of N. lactamica in a population at high risk of meningococcal disease.
abstract: Carriage of Neisseria lactamica among household contacts of meningococcal disease (MCD) cases was investigated during an epidemic in Auckland, New Zealand. The overall carriage rate for N. lactamica was 10.5% (95% CI 7.4-13.5%) with a peak carriage rate in 2-year-olds of 61.5% (95% CI 26.6-88.1%). Factors associated with a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the likelihood of carriage included runny nose, the number of people per bedroom and youth. Genetic analysis of isolates revealed a striking correlation of strains within the same household but a high level of diversity between households, suggesting that household contact is an important factor in acquisition. For household contacts aged less than 5 years, there was a higher rate of carriage amongst those in contact with MCD cases under 8 years old than for contacts of cases aged 8 years and over. It is likely that development of MCD is a reflection of the nature and intensity of the exposure to a virulent strain of N. meningitidis, coupled with an absence of host resistance among those individuals not carrying N. lactamica.
authors.affiliation: Auckland Healthcare Public Health Protection, New Zealand.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bremner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D008875:Middle Aged; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D009343:Neisseria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012307:Risk Factors