title: Meningococcal disease--probable transmission during an international flight.
abstract: Two cases of meningococcal disease were identified in passengers who travelled on the same international flight. Both cases were serogroup B with the same allelic profile. The public health action involved chemoprophylaxis for persons seated adjacent to, and in the rows in front and behind, each case. The most likely scenario is that transmission of N. meningitidis occurred on board a long distance flight, either from one case to the other or from an asymptomatic carrier to both cases. This scenario and the absence of reports of similar cases in the literature, indicate the risk to other passengers in this setting is low. This investigation reinforces the need for, and the distribution of, good national and international surveillance information to better inform public health decision making.
authors.affiliation: Communicable Disease Control Branch, Department of Health, Adelaide, South Australia. bridget.oconnor@health.sa.gov.au
authors.forename: Bridget A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Kerry G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Chant
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Binotto
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Maidment
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maywood
authors.forename: Jeremy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McAnulty
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000401:Aircraft; D001315:Australia; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial