TY - JOUR
T1 - Carriage of serogroup W-135, ET-37 meningococci in The Gambia
T2 - implications for immunisation policy?
AU - MacLennan, Jenny M.
AU - Urwin, Rachel
AU - Obaro, Steven
AU - Griffiths, David
AU - Greenwood, Brian
AU - Greenwood, Martin C. J.
PY - 2000/9
Y1 - 2000/9
N2 - We found high levels of symptomless carriage of a hyperinvasive Neisseria meningitidis strain (electrophoretic type 37 [ET-37], serogroup W-135) during a vaccine trial in Gambian children in 1996. Serogroup C, ET-37 complex meningococci cause 30–40% of meningococcal disease in countries such as the UK, and have a point prevalence of 0·5–1·0%. The recent Haj-associated spread of serogroup W-135, ET-37 complex meningococci, which has been accompanied by numerous secondary cases, might be explained by the apparently raised carriage rates reported here.
AB - We found high levels of symptomless carriage of a hyperinvasive Neisseria meningitidis strain (electrophoretic type 37 [ET-37], serogroup W-135) during a vaccine trial in Gambian children in 1996. Serogroup C, ET-37 complex meningococci cause 30–40% of meningococcal disease in countries such as the UK, and have a point prevalence of 0·5–1·0%. The recent Haj-associated spread of serogroup W-135, ET-37 complex meningococci, which has been accompanied by numerous secondary cases, might be explained by the apparently raised carriage rates reported here.
U2 - 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)02734-3
DO - 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)02734-3
M3 - Article
SN - 0140-6736
VL - 356
SP - 1078
JO - The Lancet
JF - The Lancet
IS - 9235
ER -