Table 1. Summary of ecologic modelling studies evaluating the association between influenza and invasive meningococcal disease (IMD).
| Reference | Location | Time period | Influenza included | Meningococcal disease included | Modeling technique | Findings | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moreno-Civantos, et al. (2000) [45] | Spain | 1964–1997 | Influenza A and B | IMD | Time-series regression using Box-Jenkins methodology | Positive correlations between influenza and meningococcus were found at lags of 0, 1, 2, and 3 weeks | None |
| Jensen, et al. (2004) [40] | Denmark | 1980–1999 | Influenza A and B | IMD | Log-linear Poisson regression | 29.4 (6.1–57.8) percent increase in number of IMD cases per 100 influenza cases per 100,000 population in children <1 year of age | Association for other age groups was in same direction as found for those <1 year of age but not statistically significant |
| Domínguez, et al. (2007) [44] | Catalonia, Spain | 1996–2004 | Influenza Influenza A and B | IMD serogroup B | Log-linear Poisson regression | 1.64 (1.31–2.06) relative risk | Association not seen with invasive meningococcal disease serogroup C |
| Paul, et al. (2008) [42] | Germany | 2001–2006 | Influenza A and B | IMD | Negative binomial regression | Significant association between influenza and IMD (rate and odds ratio not given) | Highest association with 1 week lag between influenza and IMD, closely followed by no lag. |
| Jansen, et al. (2008) [41] | Netherlands | 1997–2003 | Influenza A and B | IMD | Spearman correlation coefficient, using influenza active and non-active periods | 1.51–1.80 incidence rate ratio of periods of influenza virus predominance vs. summer baseline | Association varies slightly based on age |
| Tuite, et al. (2010) [43] | Ontario, Canada | 2000–2006 | Influenza A | IMD | Negative binomial regression | 1.18 (1.06–1.31) incidence rate ratio of IMD per 100 case increase of influenza | Associated with 1 week lag between influenza A and IMD; no association with influenza B |
| Tuite, et al. (2010) [43] | Ontario, Canada | 2000–2006 | Influenza A | IMD | Case-crossover | 2.03 (1.28–3.23) increased odds ratio of IMD per 100 case increase of influenza | None |
| Allard, et al. (2011) [39] | Montreal, Canada | 1996–2008 | Influenza A and B | IMD | Negative binomial regression | No significant association with up to a 5 week lag between influenza and IMD | None |
IMD = Invasive meningococcal disease.