ArticleFrontiers in public health2026
Meningococcal carriage in UK university students post-pandemic: evidence for MenACWY vaccine impact and ongoing genogroup B risk.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Methods: We collected oropharyngeal swab samples from 400 new students at a UK university during Welcome Week (September 2024). Some participants were resampled in November 2024. Culture-amplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to detect viable meningococci and determine capsule genogroups. Dot-blot ELISA established isolate capsule expression status (serogroup). Whole genome sequencing established genogroup/clonal complex combinations, population phylogenies, and predicted coverage by licensed group B vaccines. Results: The September meningococcal carriage rate was 12.5%, which rose significantly to 25.3% in November. The genogroups of recovered isolates were B (34.3%; of which 58.3% expressed capsule), capsule null (24.3%), E (21.4%), Y (12.9%), not genogroupable (5.7%) and W (1.4%). No genogroup C-positive carriers were identified. None of the isolates from genogroups Y or W expressed capsule. For genogroup Y, a statistically significant increase in prevalence was detected between time points (1 to 6.3%). For genogroup B, multiple different clonal complexes were represented, including hyper-invasive lineages responsible for a high proportion of UK IMD cases. The majority of recovered genogroup Y belonged to the β-lactamase-encoding, penicillin-resistant, ST-3587 lineage. Conclusion: Our study provides information on the meningococcal lineages and serogroups circulating in a key reservoir in the post-pandemic era. The absence of encapsulated genogroup W and Y isolates in this student cohort confirms that the UK's adolescent MenACWY vaccination program effectively protects young adults from serogroup W and Y carriage acquisition. The presence of genetically diverse genogroup B carriage isolates, including hyperinvasive lineages, supports consideration of strategies to further reduce IMD in at risk student populations.
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