Meningococcal Disease Risk Among Men Who Have Sex with Men – United States, 2012-2015

Bowen, Virginia

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Galleria Exhibit Hall

Temitope Folaranmi, MBChB, MPH, MPP¹, Melissa Whaley, MS, MPH¹, Hajime Kamiya, MD, MPH², Jessica MacNeil, MPH¹, Cecilia Kretz, PhD¹, Amy Blain, MPH¹, Stephanie Ngai, MPH³, Kathleen Winter, MPH⁴, Massimo Pacilli, MS, MPH⁵, Xin Wang, PhD⁶, Virginia Bowen, PhD, MHS⁷, Manisha Patel, MD, MS⁸, Stacey W. Martin, MSc¹, Lara Misegades, PhD, MS⁹ and Sarah Meyer, MD, MPH¹, 1Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, DBD, NCIRD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 2National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, 3New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, 4Immunization Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, 5Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, 6Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, 7Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9HHS/ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement, Washington D.C.

Background: Meningococcal disease is a rare but serious bacterial infection. Three clusters among men who have sex with men (MSM) have been reported in the U.S. since 2012. We characterized the risk of disease among MSM to inform discussions regarding the use of meningococcal vaccines in this population

Methods: All meningococcal cases among males aged 18-64 years reported to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System between January 2012 and June 2015 were reviewed. MSM status and risk factors for disease were collected from state health departments. We compared annualized incidence rates among MSM and men not known to be MSM (non-MSM). Denominators were estimated using 2012 census data and published estimates of the proportion of MSM in the U.S. Isolates were characterized using standard microbiological methods and PCR; genetic similarity of these isolates was assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS).

Results: Seventy-four cases of meningococcal disease were reported among MSM and 453 among non-MSM. The risk in MSM was 4.0 times (95% CI: 3.55-4.50) the risk in non-MSM. HIV-infected MSM had 10.1 times (95% CI: 6.1-16.6) the risk of HIV-uninfected MSM. Among MSM with known information, 48.1% (25/52) reported recreational drug use, 31.7% (20/63) tobacco use, and 45.2% (14/31) multiple or anonymous sexual partners. Sixty-two cases (83.8%) among MSM were due to serogroup C N. meningitidis (NmC), compared to 98 (21.6%) among non-MSM. PFGE and WGS revealed distinct phylogenetic groups associated with the MSM clusters.

Conclusions: MSM, particularly HIV-infected MSM, are at higher risk for meningococcal disease than non-MSM in the U.S. While vaccination of MSM may reduce their risk, policymakers should consider other factors, including suboptimal vaccine immune response in HIV-infected persons, low absolute risk of disease, and likely need for booster doses in vaccinated MSM when making recommendations.

WP 80 Meningococcal Disease Risk Among Men Who Have Sex with Men – United States, 2012-2015