SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2004
Effectiveness of antibiotics in preventing meningococcal disease after a case: systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Chemoprophylaxis and vaccination in preventing subsequent cases of meningococcal disease in household contacts of a case of meningococcal disease: a systematic review.Epidemiology and infection · 2015Pooled it
- Antibiotics for preventing meningococcal infections.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Effectiveness of vaccinating household contacts in addition to chemoprophylaxis after a case of meningococcal disease: a systematic review.Epidemiology and infection · 2008Pooled it
- Effectiveness of antibiotics given before admission in reducing mortality from meningococcal disease: systematic review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2006Pooled it
- Prophylactic use of antibiotics for prevention of meningococcal infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2005Pooled it
- First serogroup Y meningitis outbreak in Hubei Province Central China linked to adolescent immunization gaps.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The meningitis outbreak returns to Niger: Concern, efforts, challenges, and recommendations.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2023Article
- Antibiotic use for Vibrio infections: important insights from surveillance data.BMC infectious diseases · 2015Article
- Strong Public Health Recommendations from Weak Evidence? Lessons Learned in Developing Guidance on the Public Health Management of Meningococcal Disease.BioMed research international · 2015Review
- The impact of protein-conjugate polysaccharide vaccines: an endgame for meningitis?Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2013Review
- Cluster of three cases of invasive meningococcal disease in a preschool facility in West Bohemia, the Czech Republic.Folia microbiologica · 2013Article
- Quantifying the impact of community quarantine on SARS transmission in Ontario: estimation of secondary case count difference and number needed to quarantine.BMC public health · 2009Article
- B:2a:p1.5 meningococcal strains likely arisen from capsular switching event still spreading in Spain.Journal of clinical microbiology · 2009Article
- Invasive meningococcal disease in children in Jerusalem.Epidemiology and infection · 2008Article
- Effectiveness of different policies in preventing meningococcal disease clusters following a single case in day-care and pre-school settings in Europe.Epidemiology and infection · 2006Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo summarise the evidence for the role of antibiotics in preventing further cases of meningococcal disease through chemoprophylaxis given to the index patient, household contacts, and children in day care settings after a single case.
designSystematic review.
methodsStudies were identified by searching Embase (1983-2003), Medline (1965-2003), and CAB Health (1973-2003) and by contacting the World Health Organization and the European meningococcal disease surveillance network and examining references of identified papers. The review included all studies with at least 10 cases in which outcomes were compared between treated and untreated groups.
main outcome measureSubsequent cases of meningococcal disease 1-30 days after onset of disease in the index patient.
resultsFour observational studies and one small trial met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of studies on chemoprophylaxis given to household contacts showed a significant reduction in risk (risk ratio 0.11, 95% confidence interval 0.02 to 0.58). The number needed to treat to prevent a case was estimated as 218 (121 to 1135). Primary outcome data were not available in studies of chemoprophylaxis given to the index patient: when prophylaxis had not been given, rate of carriage after discharge from hospital was estimated as 3% (0 to 6), probably an underestimate of the true rate. No studies of chemoprophylaxis in day care settings were identified that met the inclusion criteria.
conclusionThere have been no high quality experimental trials looking at control policies for meningococcal disease. The best available evidence is from retrospective studies. The risk of meningococcal disease in household contacts of a patient can be reduced by an estimated 89% if they take antibiotics known to eradicate meningococcal carriage. Chemoprophylaxis should be recommended for the index patient and all household contacts.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.