Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 17, Number 9—September 2011
Letter

Carriage of Meningococci by University Students, United Kingdom

Dlawer A.A. Ala’Aldeen, Neil J. Oldfield, Fadil A. Bidmos, Noha M. Abouseada, Nader W. Ahmed, David P.J. Turner, Keith R. NealComments to Author , and Christopher D. Bayliss
Author affiliations: Author affiliations: University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK (D.A.A. Ala’Aldeen, N.J. Oldfield, N.M. Abouseada, N.W. Ahmed, D.P.J. Turner, K.R. Neal); University of Leicester, Leicester, UK (F.A. Bidmos, C.D. Bayliss)

Main Article

Table

Characteristics of meningococci carriage, University of Nottingham students, United Kingdom, 2009–10*

Collection date/year and group
Carriage rate, no. (%) carriers
Serogroup distribution
B
Y
Others
No. isolates (% carried strains)
% All participants (95% CI)
No. isolates (% carried strains)
% All participants (95% CI)
No. isolates (% carried strains)
% All participants (95% CI)
September 2009
First, n = 823 191 (23.2)† 58 (30.3) 7.0
(5.3–8.8) 24 (12.6) 2.9
(1.8–4.1)‡ 109 (57.1) 13.2
(10.9–15.6)
Second, n = 441 151 (34.2)† 34 (22.5) 7.7
(5.2–10.2) 46 (30.5) 10.4
(7.6–13.3)§ 71 (47.0) 16.1
(12.7–19.5)
Third, n = 321
98 (30.5)†
35 (35.7)
10.9
( 7.5–14.3)

20 (20.4)
6.5
(3.6–8.9)¶

43 (43.9)
13.4
(9.7–17.1)
December 2009
First, n = 557 310 (55.7)# 53 (17.1) 9.5
(7.1–12.0) 142 (45.8) 25.5
(21.9–29.1)‡ 115 (37.1) 20.6
(17.3–24.0)
Second, n = 312 123 (39.4)# 33 (26.8) 10.6
(7.2–14.0) 32 (26.0) 10.3
(6.9–13.6)§ 58 (47.2) 18.6
(14.3–22.9)
Third, n = 180
52 (28.9)#
12 (23.1)
6.7
(3.0–10.3)

11 (21.2)
6.1
(2.6–9.6)¶

29 (55.8)
16.1
(10.7–21.5)
March 2010
First, n = 379 224 (59.1)# 44 (19.6) 11.6
(8.4–14.9) 64 (28.6) 16.9
(13.1–20.7)‡ 116 (51.8) 30.6
(26.0–35.2)
Second, n = 187 69 (36.9)# 17 (24.6) 9.1
(5.0–13.2) 25 (36.2) 13.4
(8.5–18.3)§ 27 (39.1) 14.4
(9.4–19.5)
Third, n = 112 37 (33.0)# 13 (35.1) 11.6
(5.7–17.5) 5 (13.5) 4.5
(0.6–8.3)¶ 19 (51.4) 17.0
(10.1–23.9)

*CI, confidence interval.
†Carriage rate significantly lower for first-year students than for other year-group students, p <7 × 10–2.
‡First-year students, p<8 × 10–7.
§Second-year students, not significant.
¶Third-year students, not significant.
#Carriage rate significantly higher for first-year students than for other year-group students in December 2009 and March 2010, p<10–8.

Main Article

Page created: September 06, 2011
Page updated: September 06, 2011
Page reviewed: September 06, 2011
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external