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Meningococcal Carriage

Meningococcal carriage is the presence of Neisseria meningitidis in the nose or throat without meningitis or bloodstream infection.

Key takeaways

  • Carriage is usually harmless and transient, while invasive disease is rare but can progress within hours.
  • Antibiotic prophylaxis is targeted to defined close contacts of a case, not routine screening or treatment of the general population.
  • Public-health teams select contacts, timing, antibiotic and any vaccination according to exposure and outbreak context.

The listings below are not for self-declared exposure; prophylaxis should follow urgent public-health or clinical direction.

Who counts as a close contact

Household members, intimate contacts and people directly exposed to oral secretions may qualify, while casual classroom or workplace contact often does not. Throat swabs do not reliably determine who should receive prophylaxis and should not delay it.

Prophylaxis and vaccination

Rifampicin, ciprofloxacin or ceftriaxone may be selected according to pregnancy, age and local resistance. Treatment aims to clear carriage quickly after exposure. Vaccination may also be advised when the disease-causing group is covered, but does not replace immediate antibiotic prophylaxis.

When to seek urgent care

Call emergency services for fever with severe headache, neck stiffness, confusion, extreme drowsiness, rapid breathing, cold limbs or a purple rash that does not blanch under pressure.