Comparative Efficacy of Ceftriaxone and Rifampicin in Eradicating Pharyngeal Carriage of Group a Neisseria Meningitidis

Prospects for Vaccine Prevention of Meningococcal Infection

“…In a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), none of 693 household contacts of a meningococcal case who received appropriate chemoprophylaxis developed meningococcal disease, compared with 5 of 1,179 (0.424%) contacts who received no drugs or those felt to be ineffective (236,237). Chemoprophylactic agents that can be used to prevent secondary cases among adult contacts of patients with meningococcal infection include rifampin, single-dose intramuscular ceftriaxone, or single-dose oral ciprofloxacin; the first two agents can also be used in children (65,83,92,130,180,277,284,315,316,325). These agents generally decrease nasopharyngeal carriage by 90 to 95%.…”

Update on Meningococcal Disease with Emphasis on Pathogenesis and Clinical Management

“…Rifampin is the drug of choice; ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, minocycline (not in children), and ceftriaxone are good alternatives (167,243,371,420). To prevent reentry of the pathogenic strain into the household after discharge of a patient treated with penicillin, amoxicillin, or chloramphenicol, drugs that do not sterilize the nasopharyngeal mucosa (1), additional prophylaxis before discharge has been suggested (308).…”

Global epidemiology of meningococcal disease

“…For example, household contact with a carrier increases the transmission of infection (stage II) and also increases the occurrence of disease. Although carriage rates in household members of patients are increased approximately threefold (46), rates of disease in household members are increased several hundredfold (13). Household crowding may independently affect both the transmission of infection and the occurrence of disease (44 No longitudinal data exist to document changes in groupor type-specific specific immunity over time.…”