RESUMEN
A convenient sample of 70 children with signs and symptoms of meningitis admitted to Abbassia Fever Hospital [AFH] are included in the study. Their ages ranged from one month to 16 years with a mean age of 10.5 years. A diagnostic lumbar puncture was performed upon admission and the cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] was collected and examined bacteriologically, cytologically, chemically and for serogrouping of microorganism. Pharyngeal swab for culture and serogrouping was also done for patients, 104 of their household contacts and 200 apparently healthy persons from general population served as controls. The results of this study showed that, Neisseria meningitidis [N. meningitidis] was predominant in the CSF of children less than 6 years [preschool age] and the positive meningococcal pharyngeal swab culture was predominant in school age children. Serogrouping of microorganism showed that meningococci group B was the predominant group in the patients CSF and in pharyngeal swab of both the patients and their contacts. N. meningitidis carriers was higher among household contacts [7.7%] than in general population [4%] with the predominance of meningococci group B in both the contacts and in the general population. These findings showed that N. meningitidis group B carriage was predominant in school age children and proved that host immunity and over crowding specially in schools plays an important role