changing pattern of meningococcal carriage among new army recruits

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of meningococcal carrier state among new army recruits and to identify the prevailing serogroups as well as their antibiotic sensitivity. Two hundred and forty eight healthy recruits from a military training centre were studied. Their ages ranged between 20 and 23 years. Nasopharyngeal swabs showed that 38.3 percent were carriers for Neisseria meningitides. Typing of the isolated strains revealed that 14.7 percent were serogroup A, 62.1 percent serogroup B, 5.2 percent serogroup X, 1.1 percent serogroup Y and 1.1 percent serogroup Z. Polyagglutinable strains were found in 8.4 percent and autoagglutinable strains in 7.4 percent of recruits. All isolated strains were found to be highly sensitive in vitro to chloramphenicol, penicillin G, ciprofloxacin, rifampin and cefixime. Only 12.6 percent were sensitive to trimetheprim sulfamethoxazole