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. 1995 Feb;114(1):75–92. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800051931

Meningococcal meningitis and carriage in western Zaire: a hypoendemic zone related to climate?

J S Cheesbrough 1, A P Morse 1, S D Green 1
PMCID: PMC2271347  PMID: 7867746

Abstract

An analysis of bacteria recovered from cerebrospinal fluid over a 16-year period at a rural hospital in western Zaire showed that Neisseria meningitidis accounted for only five (2.2%) isolates. A survey of naso-pharyngeal colonisation with N. meningitidis in 378 healthy children was undertaken to distinguish whether this low frequency was due to lack of carriage or, by inference, lack of the co-factors necessary to permit invasive disease. N. meningitidis was recovered from only three (0.78%) of the children. All isolates were non-typable strains of low pathogenicity. A review of studies examining the aetiology of bacterial meningitis and the geographical location of epidemics of meningococcal meningitis in and around Zaire reveals a 'hypoendemic zone', the limits of which correlate well with the area in which mean absolute humidity remains above 10 g m-3 of air throughout the year. Continuous high absolute humidity appears to reduce the transmission of meningococci.

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Selected References

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