{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T00:13:15Z","timestamp":1789863195177,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"7159","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[1998,9,5]],"date-time":"1998-09-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":904953600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/www.bmj.com\/company\/legal-information\/terms-conditions\/legal-information\/tdm-licencepolicy"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMJ"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[1998,9,5]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1998,9,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Objectives:<\/jats:bold>\n                    To determine the prevalence of the pathogenic strain of\n                    <jats:italic>Neisseria meningitidis<\/jats:italic>\n                    in contacts of patients with meningococcal disease, and to determine which contact groups are likely to be carriers and warrant chemoprophylaxis.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Design:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Population based study.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Setting:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Norwegian county of Telemark.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Subjects:<\/jats:bold>\n                    1535 primary contacts of 48 patients with meningococcal disease, and 78 secondary contacts.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Interventions:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Carriers of the pathogenic strain were treated with rifampicin. All household members and kissing contacts under 15 years of age were treated with oral penicillin. Contacts were taught to recognise the symptoms of meningococcal disease.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Results:<\/jats:bold>\n                    In 27 of 48 cases investigated, contacts carrying the pathogenicstrain of\n                    <jats:italic>N meningitidis<\/jats:italic>\n                    were found. A total of 42 such contacts were identified.Contacts were stratified into three classes according to the assumed closeness of contactwith patients. In class 1 (household members and kissing contacts) the prevalence of the pathogenic strain was 12.4% (95% confidence interval 5.5% to 19.3%). In classes 2 and 3 the prevalence was 1.9% (0.9% to 3.4%) and 1.6% (0.14% to 3.1%).\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Conclusions:<\/jats:bold>\n                    There is a high rate of carriage of the pathogenic strain of\n                    <jats:italic>N meningitidis<\/jats:italic>\n                    in patients' household members and kissing contacts, and this supports the practice of giving chemoprophylaxis to these contacts. The prevalence of carriage among other contacts is 2-3 times that found in the general population (0.7%); the benefits of chemoprophylaxis to these contacts may be marginal.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.317.7159.621","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,27]],"date-time":"2011-10-27T19:54:31Z","timestamp":1319745271000},"page":"621-625","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":30,"title":["Which contacts of patients with meningococcal disease carry the pathogenic strain of Neisseria meningitidis? A population based study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"317","author":[{"given":"BjOslash;rn-Erik","family":"Kristiansen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yngvar","family":"Tveten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Jenkins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1998,9,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0163-4453(81)80009-6"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1976.03260290019018"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.3109\/inf.1981.13.issue-2.05","article-title":"Epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis: prevalence and symptoms from the upperr espiratory tract in family members to patients with meningococcal disease.","volume":"13","author":"Olc\u00e9n","year":"1981","journal-title":"Scand J Infect Dis"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1275","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(74)90022-1","article-title":"Spread of meningococcal infection within household.","volume":"i","author":"Munford","year":"1974","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"165","DOI":"10.3109\/00365549209052608","article-title":"Preventing secondary cases of meningococcald isease by identifying and eradicating disease-causing strains in closec ontacts of patients.","volume":"24","author":"Kristiansen","year":"1992","journal-title":"Scand J Infect Dis"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1017\/S0950268800056491","article-title":"Meningococcalc arriage in close contacts of cases.","volume":"106","author":"Cartwright","year":"1991","journal-title":"Epidemiol Infect"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"555","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.298.6673.555","article-title":"Secondaryc ases of meningococcal infection among close family and household contacts in England and Wales, 1984-7.","volume":"298","author":"Cooke","year":"1989","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1174","DOI":"10.1128\/jcm.33.5.1174-1179.1995","article-title":"PCR amplicon restriction endonuclease analysis of the chromosomald hps gene of Neisseria meningitidis: a method for studying the spread of thed isease-causing strain in contacts of patients with meningococcal disease.","volume":"33","author":"Kristiansen","year":"1995","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/174.4.760"},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.10","unstructured":"Caugant DA Fr\u00f8holm LO H\u00f8iby EA Blystad H Lystad A . [abstract]. Improved surveillance of meningococcal disease in Norway by continual connection of the epidemiological and bacteriologicald ata.Annual conference of the Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway, 1996.Oslo:Institute of Public Health."},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.11","unstructured":"Public Health Laboratory Service .Control ofm eningococcal disease: guidance for consultants in communicable diseasec ontrol. Communicable disease report. PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre:London,8 Dec, 1995."},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.12","unstructured":"Recommendation of the immunization practices advisoryc ommittee meningococcal vaccines .Centre for Disease Control Am anual,16th ed.Washington DC:American Public Health Association,1995."},{"key":"2025122209471162000_317.7159.621.13","unstructured":"Emerging and other communicabled iseases .Meningococcal meningitis fact sheet (No 105).Geneva:World Health Organisation. 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