Kashan University of Medical Sciences , khorshidi_a@kaums.ac.ir
Abstract: (6782 Views)
Background: Neisseria meningitidis(N. meningitidis) is a pathogen which colonizes in the nasopharynx without any clinical manifestations. Among the 13 different serological groups, only the serogroups A, B, C, W135, Y, X play a major role in disease development. This study aimed to determine N. meningitidis cases carrying these serological groups using the multiplex PCR method in the nasopharynx of students in Kashan schools .
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1289 students in Kashan during 2011-2012. Samples were collected from the students' nasopharynx using a sterile swab and cultured on a selective medium . Strains were identified through biochemical tests. Then the serological groups were determined using the multiplex PCR method.
Results: One-hundred and fifteen (8.9%) out of 1289 students were N.meningitidis carriers 75 (65.2%) male and 40 (34.8%) female. There was a significant difference between gender and the rate of carriers (P=0.032). The highest rate of carriers (12.3%) was in the 15 to 19 year age group. There was a significant relationship between the rate of carriers and increase in the number of family members (P<0.001). In this study, only the serological groups B (8 cases) and C (107 cases) were detected.
Valipour M, Piroozmand A, Khorshidi A, Akbari H, Mirzaee H. Identification of serological groups A, B, C, W135, Y, X Neisseria meningitidis carriers by multiplex PCR in the nasopharynx of students in Kashan during 2011-2012. Feyz 2013; 17 (2) :181-187 URL: http://feyz.kaums.ac.ir/article-1-1911-en.html