Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
1992-9-1
pubmed:abstractText
In Norway, the use of chemoprophylaxis after cases of meningococcal disease is not recommended. Instead, household members less than 15 years are treated with penicillin for 7 days. Failures of this treatment have been reported. We therefore used DNA fingerprinting to identify the disease-causing strain in healthy contacts combined with selective rifampicin prophylaxis to these carriers to prevent secondary cases. During a 2-year period (1987-89) there were 13 cases of meningococcal disease in the County of Telemark (165000 inhabitants). 65 (14.7%) out of 441 contacts to these 13 patients harbored meningococci in their throat; 16 (3.6%) carried the disease-causing strain. Only 1 carrier fulfilled the criteria for being treated with penicillin; 8 were adults and the remaining 7 were not household members. No secondary cases of meningococcal disease occurred during the study period or the following 12 months. During the 4-year period (1984-87) preceding the study period there were 39 cases of meningococcal disease in Telemark; 7 of them were index cases for 12 bacteriologically verified and 4 clinically suspected secondary cases of meningococcal disease. We conclude that selective prophylaxis with rifampicin seems to be more efficient that penicillin treatment of household members less than 15 to prevent secondary cases of meningococcal disease.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0036-5548
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
24
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
165-73
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Adolescent, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Aged, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Bacteremia, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Carrier State, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Child, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Child, Preschool, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-DNA, Bacterial, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-DNA Fingerprinting, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Female, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Infant, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Male, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Meningitis, Meningococcal, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Meningococcal Infections, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Neisseria meningitidis, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Norway, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Penicillins, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Pharynx, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Rifampin, pubmed-meshheading:1641593-Serotyping
pubmed:year
1992
pubmed:articleTitle
Preventing secondary cases of meningococcal disease by identifying and eradicating disease-causing strains in close contacts of patients.
pubmed:affiliation
A/S Telelab, Laboratory for Medical Microbiology, Skien, Norway.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports