[Susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs used in the prophylaxis of meningococcal disease: situation after an epidemic wave].

In the early 1990s a rise in the incidence of meningococcal disease was observed in Galicia, Spain, most cases of which were caused by serogroup C meningococcal strains. As part of the epidemiological analysis of this epidemic wave, two studies of asymptomatic carriers of neisseria meningitidis were carried out: the first took place during the period of maximum incidence and coincided with a massive immunization campaign (December 1996 to January 1997); and the second was conducted one year later (January 1998). A total of 1234 meningococcal strains were isolated in both studies (789 in the first and 445 in the second study) and the susceptibility to rifampin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone and sulfadiazine was determined. The susceptibility to rifampin, ciprofloxacin and cetriaxone was high among the strains isolated in both studies. For sulfadiazine, the percentage of resistant strains was 92.6% for the first and 86.3% for the second study.