Evaluation of pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in Tehran, Iran

Meningitis and meningococcal septicemia are potentially life-threatening illnesses; young people in educational institutions have been repeatedly exposed to outbreaks of meningococcal infections. Since invasive meningococcal disease is preceded by pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis, ascertaining the prevalence of meningococcal carriage in this population is of utmost importance. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of meningococcal carriage in students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional study was conducted on pharyngeal swab specimens of 251 healthy asymptomatic students from November 2019 for one year. A questionnaire was used to find correlation between isolation of Neisseria spp. and the place of residence, number of roommates, antibiotic use in the last month, and smoking. One sample from each student was used for culture on general and selective culture media for Neisseria spp. Polymerase chain reaction was used for the final diagnosis of Neisseria meningitidis. Participants in the study included 222 medical students (88.4%), 23 nursing students (9.2%) and 6 radiology students (2.4%). Mean (IQR1) age of students was 23 years, 134 students were female, (53.4%); 234 students were single, (93.2%). 92 students (36.7%) lived in dormitories. Neisseria were isolated from 18 specimens (7.2%), of which 11 (4.4%) were pigmented bacteria. PCR assay did not detect Neisseria meningitidis in any of the samples. This study showed that meningococcal bacteria were not detected in any of the oropharyngeal specimens from students participating in the study during the one-year study period.