Carriage prevalence of Neisseria meningitidis in the Americas in the 21st century: a systematic review

Publication date: Available online 22 July 2019Source: The Brazilian Journal of Infectious DiseasesAuthor(s): Neto José Francisco Santos, Ferreira Viviane Matos, Feitosa Caroline Alves, Martinez-Silveira Martha Silva, Campos Leila CarvalhoAbstractNeisseria meningitidis is a bacterium that colonizes the human nasopharynx and is transmitted by respiratory droplets from asymptomatic or symptomatic carriers. Occasionally, the pathogen invades the mucosa and enters the bloodstream, causing invasive meningococcal disease, a life-threatening infection. While meningococcal colonization is the first step in the development of invasive disease, the risk factors that predict progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic status are not well-known. The present report aimed to describe the prevalence of N. meningitidis carriers throughout the Americas, emphasizing the risk factors associated with carrier status, as well as the most prevalent serogroups in each studied population. We conducted a systematic review by searching for original studies in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, LILACS and SciELO databases, published between 2001 and 2018. Exclusion criteria were articles published in a review format, case studies, case control studies, investigations involving animal models, and techniques or publications that did not address the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers in an American country. A total of 784 articles were identified, of which 23 were selected. The results indicate that the highes...
Source: The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research