Identification of Neisseria Meningitidis Serogroups in Students Living in the Dormitory of Baqiyatullah University of Medical Sciences before and after Vaccination in 2019

Neisseria meningitidis is a pathogenic bacterium that settles in the nasopharynx of people. This bacterium has thirteen different serological groups, but the most common groups that play a role in causing the fatal disease of meningitis are serological groups A, B, C, W135 and Y. This disease is of special importance in the military forces  and determining and identifying carriers of different serogroups is very important

This study was conducted to determine the number of carriers of Neisseria meningitidis serological groups using the  PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method in students of Baqiyatullah University of Medical Sciences before and after vaccination.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on the pharynx samples of 115 students of Baghiyallah University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Sampling was done by Dacron swab from the pharynx. The samples were cultured in a specific and enriching culture medium.After 24 to 48 hours of incubation, biochemical methods were used to determine the identity of the strains. Then, their serological groups were determined by PCR method.

From 115 students, no serogroup of Neisseria Meningitidis was isolated in the stage before the double vaccination of Meningococcal Meningitis (De Vallan Meningococcal A+C).In the post-vaccination stage, two cases of Neisseria Meningitidis were detected among 68 students.

The findings of this research indicate that no serological group was observed in the throat of people before vaccination. While vaccination and when the students were in the dormitory, two cases of Neisseria Meningitidis group C were detected. The observance of health principles, especially the use of masks during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), has influenced the results of this study. It is possible that under normal conditions and the non-implementation of special regulations related to Corona, the number of positive cases after the presence of students in the dormitory is more than the cases identified in this research.