Early development in healthy children of serum opsonins against nonpathogenic Neisseria meningitidis

Different seroprevalences of antibodies against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A and Haemophilus influenzae type b in Sudanese and Swedish children

Sampling of sera from 202 Sudanese and 124 Swedish children 1-14 years of age was conducted at the end of the 1980s presenting an opportunity to compare the seroprevalence of anti-Neisseria meningitidis (MC) serogroup A antibodies in an area immediately before outbreak of an epidemic (Sudan 1988) with a low endemic area (Sweden). An ELISA antibody assay was developed for detection of antibodies against capsular polysaccharide of MC serogroup A and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Serum antibody against MC serogroup A was found significantly more frequently in Sudanese than in Swedish children. This indicates that factors other than herd immunity, as measured by serum antibodies against MC serogroup A polysaccharide, are important for avoidance of an MC serogroup A epidemic. The seroprevalence of Hib antibodies was, in contrast, significantly higher in Swedish than in Sudanese children, especially for 5-9-year-old children. A possible explanation may be the different systems of day-care of children in the two countries.