Meningococcal Infection: Clinical and Epidemiologic Observations on a Military Base over a One-Year Period

Twelve men were hospitalized with a meningococcal disease at Camp Lejeune, N. C. in the winter of 1970-71. The responsible organism in all but one case was in serogroup C. Carrier rates in the trainee population at risk, studied with nasopharyngeal swab cultures, were equally high in serogroups C and Y. Shedding ability using cough plate counts on Thayer-Martin agar was inversely related to the duration of carrier state. An analysis of cough plate counts by individual serogroups suggests that organism virulence may be an important factor in producing meningococcal disease in this population. The dynamics of meningococcal infection with respect to virulence and shedding ability cannot be appreciated from carrier rate statistics. (Author)