a Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine , Kerman University of Medical Sciences , Kerman , Iran.
b Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health , Kerman University of Medical Sciences , Kerman , Iran.
Pathog Glob Health. 2018 Sep;112(6):329-333. doi: 10.1080/20477724.2018.1514138. Epub 2018 Aug 29.
Neisseria meningitidis is an important causative agent of bacterial meningitis. The nasopharynx is the only known reservoir of this organism. Although the relationship between carriage and invasive disease is not completely understood, asymptomatic meningococcal carriers are considered as the most important sources for causing strains of disease. Living in closed and overcrowded places such as university dormitories can increase the carriage rate and meningococcal disease. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of N. meningitidis carriers among male students living in three dormitories affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Kerman, Iran). Nasopharyngeal swab was taken from all participants recruited in the study. Conventional microbiological tests were performed for isolation and detection of the organism. The amplification of crgA gene was used to confirm the identity of isolates. Molecular serogrouping was used to detect the six most frequent serotypes. The overall carriage rate was 6.8% (23/335). The capsular type of these isolates was in determinate (56.5%) or of serogroup C (43.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that cigarette smoking was significantly associated with meningococcal carriage (OR = 5.02; p = 0.01). Additionally, using univariate regression analysis, a significant association was found between water pipe smoking and carriage (p = 0.018). The rate of meningococcal carriage among male students in the studied population was lower as compared to other high-risk group (freshmen conscripts) in Iran. University students should be aware of the consequences of cigarette and water pipe smoking as risk factors in meningococcal carriage.
脑膜炎奈瑟菌是细菌性脑膜炎的重要病原体。鼻咽部是该病原体唯一已知的储存库。虽然带菌状态与侵袭性疾病之间的关系尚未完全阐明，但无症状脑膜炎球菌带菌者被认为是引起疾病菌株的最重要来源。居住在大学宿舍等封闭和拥挤的地方会增加带菌率和脑膜炎球菌病的发生。本横断面研究旨在确定与伊朗克尔曼医科大学（Kerman, Iran）附属的三间宿舍的男性学生中脑膜炎奈瑟菌带菌者的流行率。从所有纳入研究的参与者中采集鼻咽拭子。进行常规微生物学检测以分离和检测病原体。扩增 crgA 基因用于确认分离株的身份。分子血清分型用于检测六种最常见的血清型。总体带菌率为 6.8%（23/335）。这些分离株的荚膜型为不定型（56.5%）或 C 群（43.5%）。多变量逻辑回归分析显示，吸烟与脑膜炎球菌带菌显著相关（OR=5.02；p=0.01）。此外，通过单变量回归分析，发现水烟吸烟与带菌之间存在显著关联（p=0.018）。与伊朗其他高危人群（新兵应征者）相比，研究人群中男性学生的脑膜炎球菌带菌率较低。大学生应该意识到吸烟和水烟作为脑膜炎球菌带菌的危险因素的后果。
