STUDY OF RHINOPHARYNGEAL CARRIAGE OF NEIS SERIA-MENINGITIDIS SEROGROUP-C IN THE COLLECTIVITY AROUND PATIENTS IN MALI - ABOUT 1,033 SUBJECTSSTUDIED

This study showed that the carriage rate is nul or low in collectivity not in close contact, but high in collectivity in close contact (scho ols, particularly coranic schools). In this later case, the duration o f the carriage may reach several weeks (2 to 6 in our study) at variab le rates (3.7 to 9.6 %; 12.5 to 62.5 %; 14.3 to 42.9 % according to th e coranic school visited). For the strains of N. meningitidis serogrou p C isolated, the rate of resistance to sulfamides and cotrimoxazole i s 86.8 %. These results explain why during epidemics, it is necessary to close schools and avoid to use for the chemoprophylaxis, sulfamids and their associations because of resistance.