Antibiotics for preventing meningococcal infections

Meningococcal disease is a contagious bacterial disease with high fatality rates, up to 15% for infection of the central nervous system (meningitis) and up to 50% to 60% among patients with blood stream infection and shock; up to 15% of survivors are left with severe neurological deficits. It is caused by Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis). People who have had close contact with someone who has a meningococcal infection and populations with known high carriage rates are offered antibiotics in order to eradicate the bacteria and thus prevent disease. Data from 24 studies including 6885 participants found that rifampin (also known as rifampicin), ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone and penicillin are effective agents for eradicating carriage of N. meningitidis. However, the use of rifampin may have a disadvantage as development of resistance to the antibiotic has been noted following treatment. Mild adverse events are associated with the different antibiotics used. Disease prevention could not be evaluated directly in this review as only data for eradication of the bacteria were available. Different follow-up periods were reported in the studies.