Familial factor in contagiousness of Haemophilus influenzae type B meningitis in children

ABSTRACT

Seventy-nice pediatric patient - family pairs were detected for Hib or Hib-antigen. The study also examined 22 pairs of H. influenzae strains isolated from CSF of patients and from upper respiratory tract of the family members of the patients to determine serotype, biotype, presence of Beta-lactamase, PCR with Hib-specified primers, and PFGE with SmaI restriction enzyme. The results showed that 44.4% of the patients` families had Hib carriers; all of 22 H. influenzae isolated pairs from patients and their families had serotype b; 17 of 22 pairs had characteristics of biotype II; 16 of 22 pairs had Beta-lactamase; and 9 of 22 pairs had both the PCR pattern and PFGE pattern. Close contact with Hib carriers was a factor of Hib meningitis contagiousness in children under 5 years of age