What is this study about?
Teenagers are at increased risk of meningococcal disease. Although the disease can be serious, the meningococcal germ is ‘carried’ in the back of the throat without causing any symptoms in about one in five teenagers. At the moment, there is relatively little disease due to meningococci in the UK, but fifteen years ago disease levels were 5-10 times higher. We want to understand why this germ sometimes causes serious disease and why the amount of disease varies over time.
We would like to collect samples from the throats of healthy teenagers and compare them with samples from people with disease. We will also compare them with similar samples that we collected from people like you fifteen years ago, to see if there are differences in meningococci at times of low and high disease rates. This research will help us to understand how vaccines can protect people against this disease.
This micrograph depicts the presence of aerobic Gram-negative Neisseria meningitidis diplococcal bacteria.
Image source: CDC Public Health Image Library.
How is it being carried out?
What do you want me to do?
Please read the full information sheet we have sent you about the study and discuss it with your parents. We would like to take a single swab from the back of your throat and ask you to fill in a one-page questionnaire asking things about you and your lifestyle that affect meningococcal carriage. This will take place in school. It is completely up to you if you want to take part: you do not have to join our study.
What will happen if I decide to take part?
We will come to your school to discuss the study with you and answer your questions. If you are happy, we will ask you to sign a consent form and then briefly touch the back of the throat with a cotton swab and give a saliva sample. You will then fill in a one-page questionnaire to complete your participation. This will take a total of about 20 minutes.
We will keep all your information in confidence. This means we will only tell those who have a need or right to know. We will not pass on your information to your parents, to school staff or to other pupils.
What will you do with my throat swab?
We will initially freeze bacteria in your sample and then identify any meningococci we find. We will store any left over samples so that we can use them for future research, but you would not be identified.
What are the risks and benefits of taking part?
Some people find a throat swab either tickly or a bit unpleasant but this lasts only a few seconds. There is no direct benefit to you of taking part and we will not be able to give individual results; however, this research will improve our understanding of meningococcal disease and carriage, and will help others in the future by helping to inform the way we use vaccines.
What if I have any questions?
Please ask! We are happy to answer any questions you have. Further information is available on the full information sheet we sent to your home and on the study website [http://www.ukmencar4.org/]. Please note that this summary sheet does not contain all the information you need to make an informed decision about taking part. Please refer to the full information sheet which tells you everything you need to know.
Teenagers are at increased risk of meningococcal disease. Although the disease can be serious, the meningococcal germ is ‘carried’ in the back of the throat without causing any symptoms in about one in five teenagers. At the moment, there is relatively little disease due to meningococci in the UK, but fifteen years ago disease levels were 5-10 times higher. We want to understand why this germ sometimes causes serious disease and why the amount of disease varies over time.
We would like to collect samples from the throats of healthy teenagers and compare them with samples from people with disease. We will also compare them with similar samples that we collected from people like you fifteen years ago, to see if there are differences in meningococci at times of low and high disease rates. This research will help us to understand how vaccines can protect people against this disease.
This micrograph depicts the presence of aerobic Gram-negative Neisseria meningitidis diplococcal bacteria.
Image source: CDC Public Health Image Library.
How is it being carried out?
What do you want me to do?
Please read the full information sheet we have sent you about the study and discuss it with your parents. We would like to take a single swab from the back of your throat and ask you to fill in a one-page questionnaire asking things about you and your lifestyle that affect meningococcal carriage. This will take place in school. It is completely up to you if you want to take part: you do not have to join our study.
What will happen if I decide to take part?
We will come to your school to discuss the study with you and answer your questions. If you are happy, we will ask you to sign a consent form and then briefly touch the back of the throat with a cotton swab and give a saliva sample. You will then fill in a one-page questionnaire to complete your participation. This will take a total of about 20 minutes.
We will keep all your information in confidence. This means we will only tell those who have a need or right to know. We will not pass on your information to your parents, to school staff or to other pupils.
What will you do with my throat swab?
We will initially freeze bacteria in your sample and then identify any meningococci we find. We will store any left over samples so that we can use them for future research, but you would not be identified.
What are the risks and benefits of taking part?
Some people find a throat swab either tickly or a bit unpleasant but this lasts only a few seconds. There is no direct benefit to you of taking part and we will not be able to give individual results; however, this research will improve our understanding of meningococcal disease and carriage, and will help others in the future by helping to inform the way we use vaccines.
What if I have any questions?
Please ask! We are happy to answer any questions you have. Further information is available on the full information sheet we sent to your home and on the study website [http://www.ukmencar4.org/]. Please note that this summary sheet does not contain all the information you need to make an informed decision about taking part. Please refer to the full information sheet which tells you everything you need to know.
