Meningococcal Carriage Following a University Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Outbreak and Vaccination Campaign with MenB-4C and MenB-FHbp — Oregon, 2015–2016

Abstract

Background

Limited data exist on the impact of the serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccines MenB-FHbp and MenB-4C on meningococcal carriage and herd protection. We therefore assessed meningococcal carriage following a MenB vaccination campaign in response to a university serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak in 2015.

Methods

A convenience sample of students recommended for vaccination provided oropharyngeal swabs and completed questionnaires during four carriage surveys over 11 months. Isolates were tested by real-time PCR, slide agglutination, and whole genome sequencing. Vaccination history was verified via university records and the state immunization registry.

Results

A total of 4,225 oropharyngeal swabs were analyzed from 3,802 unique participants. Total meningococcal and genotypically serogroup B carriage prevalence among sampled students were stable at 11–17% and 1.2%–2.4% during each round, respectively; no participants carried the outbreak strain. Neither 1–3 doses of MenB-FHbp nor 1–2 doses of MenB-4C was associated with decreased total or serogroup B carriage prevalence.

Conclusions

While few participants completed the full MenB vaccination series, limiting analytic power, these data suggest that MenB-FHbp and MenB-4C do not have a large, rapid impact on meningococcal carriage and are unlikely to provide herd protection in the context of an outbreak response.