MenB carriage dynamics amongst post-lockdown first year university students

A new study has been launched to explore the spread of meningococcal group B (MenB) bacteria among first-year university students at the University of Nottingham. Meningococci are bacteria which reside in the throats of approximately 10% of healthy people without causing harm. However, the carriage rate significantly increases among first-year students, and in rare cases, the bacteria can cause diseases such as meningitis. There is an urgent need to better understand the spread of MenB bacteria in adolescents and young adults since these age groups are not currently eligible for the MenB vaccine that is given to babies in the UK.

Chief Investigator Dr. Neil Oldfield, Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham explained: “The major aim of our study is to investigate the carriage and spread of MenB bacteria in first-year university students at the University of Nottingham following arrival on campus. Secondly, given recent widespread self-sampling for COVID-19 diagnosis, part of our study will investigate whether self-taken throat swabs have a similar sensitivity for detection of meningococci as swabs taken by health-care professionals.”

The study is being conducted using the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Mobile Research Unit, in collaboration with the University of Nottingham. Participants will visit the unit, where a doctor or nurse will take a throat swab. They will also be provided with a self-swab pack containing instructions, swabs, labels and packaging. Each participant will need to take one swab per week for three weeks, returning the samples as instructed. Finally, a follow-up appointment will be arranged at Cripps Health Centre in late November or early December to obtain the last sample. 

Once collected, the throat swab samples will be analysed to detect the presence of meningococcal bacteria. This will be done either by detecting meningococcal DNA in the swab fluid or by spreading the fluid across an agar plate, which will enable any meningococci present to grow. 

The study has received vital support from the University of Nottingham Health Service based at the Cripps Health Centre, the NIHR Agile Research Delivery Team, and the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) Community Research Team. This project is a fantastic demonstration of collaborative working between these teams, showcasing how working together can lead to impactful research.

The research recruited 400 participants during ‘week 1’ of the university term. The project is funded by the Meningitis Research Foundation, a leading charity in the UK, Ireland and internationally, which is dedicated to defeating meningitis wherever it exists, and on behalf of the Jessica Bethell Charitable Foundation.

For more information, read the Meningitis Research Foundation’s news article here.