(Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1989-10) Donald, P. R.; Quan, E.; Burger, P. J.; Coetzee, G. J.; Cameron, N.
Neisseria meningitidis infections were first reported
from the south-western Cape Province in 1883. Since then, against a backdrop of a relatively low incidence with winter exacerbation, epidemic periods have occurred at 10 - IS-year intervals. During the 1978 - 1979 epidemic more than 95% of
isolates at Tygerberg Hospital were of serogroup B and only 5% were resistant to sulphonamides. Seventy-seven per cent of patients notified as suffering from meningococcal infections were
under 4 years of age.3 In this report we briefly describe the pattern of serogrouping and sulphonamide resistance of N. meningitidis for the period 1980 - 1987.