There is current an outbreak of Meningitis B in Kent, United Kingdom, According to the BBC the students are being given vaccines and also preventitive anti biotics.

I may be wrong here, but I thought anti biotics are used to treat infections, and not as a preventitive measure (which it what vaccines are for), Am I right here or just not understanding something.

Thanks

Paul

They can be, especially in cases were bacteria are growing slowly (so can be undetected for a longer time) or are highly dangerous. I.e. folks may be free of symptoms, but already carry the bacterium, and/or are at high risk of being infected. Early treatment can then prevent the bacteria from further proliferation and then cause symptoms. It is generally only done in high risk situations, as overuse of antibiotics is a big issue.

In this case, I believe the reason is that there is a high risk that folks are already unknowingly exposed.

2 hours ago, CharonY said:

They can be, especially in cases were bacteria are growing slowly (so can be undetected for a longer time) or are highly dangerous. I.e. folks may be free of symptoms, but already carry the bacterium, and/or are at high risk of being infected. Early treatment can then prevent the bacteria from further proliferation and then cause symptoms. It is generally only done in high risk situations, as overuse of antibiotics is a big issue.

In this case, I believe the reason is that there is a high risk that folks are already unknowingly exposed.

Yes, my understanding is that under normal conditions a significant proportion of the population (~10%?) carries meningococcus bacteria in their throats without suffering any problem. The problem comes when for some reason these bacteria get into the bloodstream. What I don't understand about the current outbreak is what has changed in tis location to cause a higher incidence of infection. Is it that student behaviour (kissing ,sharing vapes etc) has led to a far higher proportion than normal carrying the bacteria, thereby raising the usual low probability of infection to a higher level, or is it that there is a specific strain of bacteria that is more likely to jump the skin barrier and get into the body?

1 hour ago, exchemist said:

What I don't understand about the current outbreak is what has changed in tis location to cause a higher incidence of infection.

We often get meningitis outbreaks in Northern Nigeria at this time of year where for the strains involved, high temperature, dust, and low humidity have been identified as significant factors.

Perhaps for the strain(s) involved in the Kent outbreak, climatic conditions are similarly involved.

3 hours ago, sethoflagos said:

We often get meningitis outbreaks in Northern Nigeria at this time of year where for the strains involved, high temperature, dust, and low humidity have been identified as significant factors.

Perhaps for the strain(s) involved in the Kent outbreak, climatic conditions are similarly involved.

All are factors compromising mucosal integrity, allowing direct exposure of epithelial cells to pathogens. Apart from the physical barrier, it is host to lysozyme, lactoferrin, and immunoglobulin A. Also, the cilia move mucus in a conveyor fashion that has trapped pathogens to be swallowed and neutralized in the stomach. If the mucus dries, those functions are disabled.

11 hours ago, CharonY said:

They can be, especially in cases were bacteria are growing slowly (so can be undetected for a longer time) or are highly dangerous. I.e. folks may be free of symptoms, but already carry the bacterium, and/or are at high risk of being infected. Early treatment can then prevent the bacteria from further proliferation and then cause symptoms. It is generally only done in high risk situations, as overuse of antibiotics is a big issue.

In this case, I believe the reason is that there is a high risk that folks are already unknowingly exposed.

Thanks, this makes more sense now, so the antibiotics in this case would kill any, I guess, dormant virus cells, before they can either move elsewhere or be transmitted to others.

2 hours ago, paulsutton said:

Thanks, this makes more sense now, so the antibiotics in this case would kill any, I guess, dormant virus cells, before they can either move elsewhere or be transmitted to others.

Typo? Not "virus cells". Bacteria. Viruses are not cells and antibiotics don't work on them.

7 hours ago, StringJunky said:

All are factors compromising mucosal integrity, allowing direct exposure of epithelial cells to pathogens. Apart from the physical barrier, it is host to lysozyme, lactoferrin, and immunoglobulin A. Also, the cilia move mucus in a conveyor fashion that has trapped pathogens to be swallowed and neutralized in the stomach. If the mucus dries, those functions are disabled.

That's interesting. The Canterbury "superspreader" event seems to have been some kind of nightclub venue. I imagine it will have been hot and very noisy so everyone shouting, everyone in close proximity, with a good deal of exchange of saliva.

2 hours ago, exchemist said:

Typo? Not "virus cells". Bacteria. Viruses are not cells and antibiotics don't work on them.

That's interesting. The Canterbury "superspreader" event seems to have been some kind of nightclub venue. I imagine it will have been hot and very noisy so everyone shouting, everyone in close proximity, with a good deal of exchange of saliva.

Yeah, shouting and singing generating plenty of pathogen-bearing aerosols.

19 hours ago, exchemist said:

Yes, my understanding is that under normal conditions a significant proportion of the population (~10%?) carries meningococcus bacteria in their throats without suffering any problem.

Also, some folks (as I think this statistic refers to) are mostly immune to symptomatic outbreaks, and are passive carriers but can transmit to vulnerable persons (think Mary Mallon, or Typhoid Mary). Aside from factors mentioned earlier which could promote colonization and invasion, an important factor in terms of symptoms and severity is how the immune system reacts to them. Sepsis can be facilitated by triggering pro-inflammatory cascades via lipopolysaccharides of the bacterium (Neisseria mengitidis) for example. I.e. much of the damages are in fact caused by the immune response (including subsequent endothelial damages, necrosis etc. once it reaches the bloodstream).

I haven't followed the recent UK outbreak, but I don't really see clear information whether there is something special about this one, or just a confluence of factors that are causing this spike. Some have mentioned that potentially infected folks were sharing vapes, which not only exchanges infectious saliva, but also damages mucosal surfaces and might promote spread. Or there could be co-infections, with respiratory diseases which are still around. Some have speculated regarding a difference in virulence, but there is no evidence for that yet, either.