ABSTRACT Meningococcal carriage is a prerequisite for invasive
infection . This
cross-sectional study assessed the pharyngeal carriage
prevalence in
healthy subjects aged 1-24 years in Embu das Artes city, São Paulo,
Brazil . Pharyngeal swabs were examined for the presence of
Neisseria meningitidis . The isolates were tested for different
serogroups using
agglutination and
polymerase chain reaction . A
logistic regression model assessed any independent
association between
Neisseria meningitidis carriage and various
risk factors . A total of 87/967 subjects (9%, 95%
Confidence Interval (CI) 7.3-11.0) tested positive for N. meningitidis 6.2% (95% CI 3.8-9.4) in 1-4 years, 8.5% (95% CI 5.1-13.0) in 5-9 years, 12.5% (95% CI 7.8-18.6) in 10-14 years, 12.6% (95% CI 7.4-19.7) in 15-19 years and 9% (95% CI 4.9-14.9) in 20-24 years
age groups . Highest carriage
prevalence was observed in
adolescents 10-19 years old.
Serogroup C was predominant (18.4%) followed by
serogroup B (12.6%). The 15-19 years
age group showed a significant
association between number of
household members and carriers of N. meningitidis. This
cross-sectional study is the first in
Brazil to evaluate meningococcal carriage
prevalence and associated factors in a wide age range.