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Secretor status, smoking and carriage of Neisseria meningitidis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

C. C. Blackwell
Affiliation:
Department of Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
D. M. Weir
Affiliation:
Department of Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
V. S. James
Affiliation:
Department of Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
W. T. A. Todd
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Monklands District General Hospital, Airdrie
N. Banatvala
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Monklands District General Hospital, Airdrie
A. K. R. Chaudhuri
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Unit, Monklands District General Hospital, Airdrie
H. G. Gray
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, Monklands Cumbernauld District, Lanarkshire Health Board, Airdrie
E. J. Thomson
Affiliation:
Microbiology Laboratory, Monklands District General Hospital, Airdrie
R. J. Fallon
Affiliation:
Meningococcus (Scotland) Reference Laboratory, Ruchill Hospital, Glasgow
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Summary

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A survey of ABO blood groups, secretor status and smoking habits among 389 students and staff of a school in which there was an outbreak of meningococcal disease found no difference in the distribution of the ABO blood groups but a significantly higher proportion of non-secretors (37·6%) in the population examined compared with that reported for previous surveys of the neighbouring population in Glasgow (26·2%) (P < 0·0005). There was also a significantly higher proportion of non-secretors among carriers of meningococci (47%) compared with non-carriers (32%). Increased carriage of meningococci among non-secretors might contribute to the increased susceptibility of individuals with this genetic characteristic to meningococcal disease observed in previous studies. Although passive exposure to cigarette smoke has been associated with meningococcal disease, there was no association between passive smoking and carriage. There was, however, a significant association between active smoking and carriage.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

References

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