title: Refining the public health response to primary meningococcal conjunctivitis.
abstract: Primary meningococcal conjunctivitis (PMC) is accepted as an uncommon condition. This report describes two recent cases of PMC in newborn infants in a hospital nursery. In both cases the organisms identified were non-groupable strains of N. meningiditis, considered to be of low pathogenic potential. Both infants received systemic therapy and recovered without sequelae. The Guidelines for the early clinical and public health management of meningococcal disease in Australia recommend the notification of PMC to public health authorities and chemoprophylaxis of contacts. However, our 2 cases suggest that the guidelines should allow for an assessment of risk in determining the public health response. This assessment should include the severity of the conjunctivitis and the serogroup of the N. meningitidis isolate.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Roslyn G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Poulos
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Smedley
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ferson
authors.forename: Srinivas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bolisetty
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tapsall
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003234:Conjunctivitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009517:New South Wales; D009725:Nurseries, Hospital; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents