Meningitis carriage in young adults

The St George's Vaccine Institute participated in this multicentre trial which objective was to assess how many adolescents and young adults have a bacterium (germ) that can cause meningitis in their throats.

It is known that it is possible to have meningococcus in the nose and throat without being harmed by it (known as asymptomatic carriage) and that this is one way the bacterium can spread from one person to another. We also know that adolescents and young adults are more likely to "carry" meningococcus in their throats than any other age group. However, we do not have a good idea of what the current rates of meningococcal carriage are. This is important information to gather because it can help predict how much (and what type) of meningococcal disease is likely to be around in the future. This information will also be useful for the development of new vaccines.

Overall, there were 1200 students enrolled in this study in Oxford, South London, Bristol and Southampton and students taking part in the study had a ‘two in one’ swab taken from the back of their throat on three to four different occasions over 12 months.

Recruitment closed

Number of participants enrolled