ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Laboratory confirmation of meningococcal disease in Scotland, 1993–9

S C Clarke, J Reid, L Thom, B C Denham, G F S Edwards

Scottish Meningococcus and Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, House on the Hill, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow G21 3UW, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr S C Clarke, Scottish Meningococcus and Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, House on the Hill, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow G21 3UW, UK;
stuart.clarke{at}northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk

Aims: To describe the laboratory confirmation of meningococcal disease, using culture and non-culture based techniques, between 1993 and 1999 as part of a national service in Scotland.

Methods: Samples from patients with suspected meningococcal disease in Scotland were analysed by culture and non-culture based techniques to gain a laboratory confirmation of disease. Data were analysed to establish the number of disease cases, the serogroups of the organisms involved, and the importance of the techniques used.

Results: Between 1993 and 1999, there was a total of 1749 notified cases of meningococcal disease in Scotland. Culture based methods provided a laboratory confirmation of 788 cases whereas non-culture techniques confirmed 461 cases.

Conclusions: Non-culture techniques were a useful addition to culture based techniques in Scotland and improved the dataset required for public health management, disease surveillance, and vaccine policy.

Keywords: meningococcal disease; Neisseria meningitidis; non-culture diagnosis

Abbreviations: CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; MenC, serogroup C meningococcal conjugate; OMP, outer membrane protein; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; SCIEH, Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health; SMPRL, Scottish Meningococcus and Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory

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