Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27486669›Full record

ArticlePloS one2016

Risk of Invasive Meningococcal Disease in Men Who Have Sex with Men: Lessons Learned from an Outbreak in Germany, 2012-2013.

Wiebke Hellenbrand, Heike Claus, Susanne Schink, Ulrich Marcus, Ole Wichmann, Ulrich Vogel

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Wiebke HellenbrandImmunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353 Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8563-3629
Heike ClausInstitute for Hygiene and Microbiology, Reference laboratory for Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Susanne SchinkUnit for HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Ulrich MarcusUnit for HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Ole WichmannImmunization Unit, Robert Koch Institute, Seestrasse 10, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Ulrich VogelInstitute for Hygiene and Microbiology, Reference laboratory for Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Robert Koch Institute · DEUniversity of Würzburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe undertook investigations in response to an invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) outbreak in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Berlin 2012-2013 to better understand meningococcal transmission and IMD risk in MSM.

methodsWe retrospectively searched for further IMD cases in MSM in Germany through local health departments and undertook exploratory interviews. We performed antigen sequence typing, characterized fHbp and aniA genes of strains with the outbreak finetype and reviewed epidemiologically or spatiotemporally linked cases from 2002-2014.

resultsAmong the 148 IMD-cases notified from 01.01.2012-30.09.2013 in 18-59 year-old men we identified 13 MSM in 6 federal states: 11 serogroup C (MenC, all finetype C:P1.5-1,10-8:F3-6), 2 MenB. Interviews with 7 MSM revealed frequent meeting of multiple partners online or via mobile apps and illicit drug use as potential risk factors. MenC incidence was 13-fold higher in MSM than non-MSM. MenC isolates from 9/11 MSM had a novel fHbp allele 766. All C:P1.5-1,10-8:F3-6 strains from MSM versus 16/23 from non-MSM had intact aniA genes (p = 0.04). Although definitive evidence for transmission among MSM in epidemiological or spatiotemporal clusters in 2002-2014 was lacking, clusters were more frequent in men aged 20-49 years. Molecular analysis of C:P1.5-1,10-8:F3-6 strains revealed cases with intact aniA since 2007, mainly associated with fHbp361, fHbp766 and fHbp813, all involving one or more MSM.

conclusionsMenC incidence was elevated in MSM during the study period. Multiple casual sexual contacts and illicit drug use were common in affected MSM. In all strains from MSM we detected an intact aniA gene coding for a nitrite reductase, which permits survival in microanaerobic environments and could play a role in meningococcal transmission in MSM through urogenital colonization. Furthermore, meningococcal transmission among MSM may be sustained over large areas and thus require modified spatiotemporal scanning algorithms for timely detection and control.

Indexed as

Disease OutbreaksAdolescentAdultGermanyHomosexuality, MaleHumansMaleMeningococcal InfectionsMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID27486669
PMCPMC4972413
OpenAlexW2504341386

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.