Space-Time Cluster Analysis of Invasive Meningococcal Disease

• Main Authors: Christian J.P.A. Hoebe, Hester E. de Melker, Lodewijk Spanjaard, Jacob Dankert, Nico Nagelkerke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004-09-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Neisseria meningitidis; invasive meningococcal disease; outbreak; cluster analysis; space-time analysis; secondary cases
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/9/03-0992_article
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059

Clusters are recognized when meningococcal cases of the same phenotypic strain (markers: serogroup, serotype, and subtype) occur in spatial and temporal proximity. The incidence of such clusters was compared to the incidence that would be expected by chance by using space-time nearest-neighbor analysis of 4,887 confirmed invasive meningococcal cases identified in the 9-year surveillance period 1993–2001 in the Netherlands. Clustering beyond chance only occurred among the closest neighboring cases (comparable to secondary cases) and was small (3.1%, 95% confidence interval 2.1%–4.1%).