Maiden M1 & Stuart J2 Carriage of hypervirulent meningococci before and after the introduction of serogroup C conjugate polysaccharide vaccine in the UK This research project is part of a UK wide study, looking at the impact of the meningitis C vaccine. Results so far indicate that the introduction of the meningitis C vaccine amongst teenagers has reduced carriage of the bacteria amongst this age group by approximately 66%. The researchers are comparing the carriage of serogroup C meningococci amongst students aged between 15 and 17 years of age. More than 14,000 students were swabbed during the initial vaccination program in 1999. One year later they swabbed a further 16,00 students, and found that they were carrying 66% less meningococci serogroup C bacteria than the first cohort of students. These results suggest that the meningitis C vaccine induces immunity in the nasopharyngeal mucosa to meningococci C, thereby inhibiting its carriage. It is important to assess whether this effect of the vaccine persists beyond the first year following immunisation. The research is expected to continue for at least a further 4 years and will continue to assess the carriage rates of meningococci C. A second year of swabbing has been completed and the results are awaited. Source The Lancet vol559, May 25th 2002, p1829-30 Contacts 1 Wellcome Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, University of Oxford |