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Surveillance of Australian Hajj PilgrimsWJCC-5-102.pdf (941.7 kB)

Surveillance of Australian Hajj pilgrims for carriage of potentially pathogenic bacteria: Data from two pilot studies

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posted on 2023-05-19, 10:29 authored by Azeem, MI, Tashani, M, Badahdah, AM, Heron, L, Pedersen, K, Jeoffreys, N, Kok, J, Elizabeth HaworthElizabeth Haworth, Dwyer, DE, Hill-Cawthorne, G, Rashid, H, Booy, R
Aim: To estimate the pharyngeal carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) among Australian Hajj pilgrims.

Methods: In 2014, surveillance was conducted in two phases among Australian Hajj pilgrims: The first phase during Hajj in Mina, and the second phase soon after returning home to Australia. Nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs were taken from participants then tested, firstly by nucleic acid testing, and also by standard culture.

Results: Of 183 participants recruited in the first phase, 26 (14.2%) tested positive for S. pneumonia; 4 had received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Only one tested positive for N. meningitides (W). Of 93 2nd phase samples cultured, 17 (18.3%) grew S. aureus, all methicillin sensitive, 2 (2.2%) grew N. meningitides (on subculture; one serotype B, one negative), and 1 (1%), from an unvaccinated pilgrim, grew S. pneumonia.

Conclusion: Relatively high carriage of S. pneumonia and little meningococcal carriage was found. This indicates the importance of a larger study for improved infection surveillance and possible vaccine evaluation.

History

Publication title

World Journal of Clinical Cases

Volume

5

Pagination

102-111

ISSN

2307-8960

Department/School

Menzies Institute for Medical Research

Publisher

Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited

Place of publication

United States

Rights statement

Copyright 2017 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Clinical health not elsewhere classified

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