Tobacco smoking and meningococcal disease in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), presenting predominantly as meningitis and/or septicaemia, is a life-threatening condition resulting from infection with Neisseria meningitidis, otherwise known as the meningococcus. N. meningitidis colonises the pharyngeal mucosa and at any given time, around 10% of the population are estimated to be asymptomatic carriers of N. meningitidis (1). In a small proportion of carriers, N. meningitidis crosses the epithelial barrier and enters the bloodstream, giving rise to IMD.
Source: Journal of Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research