Close contacts of a person with meningococcal meningitis should receive which prophylaxis?

Close contacts of a person with meningococcal meningitis should receive which prophylaxis?

• A. Ciprofloxacin 500 mg PO single dose
• B. Azithromycin 1 g
• C. Doxycycline 100 mg
• D. Penicillin G

Answer: (A)

Close contacts of someone with meningococcal meningitis require post-exposure prophylaxis to eradicate nasopharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and prevent secondary cases. A single oral dose of ciprofloxacin 500 mg is an effective, convenient option for adults, rapidly eliminating carriage and reducing the risk of developing disease in exposed individuals. Other listed antibiotics do not serve as standard prophylaxis for meningococcal exposure (rifampin is traditional but multi-dose; doxycycline and azithromycin aren’t used for this purpose; penicillin G isn’t used for prophylaxis). Therefore, the single-dose ciprofloxacin regimen is the best choice for close-contact prophylaxis.

Close contacts of someone with meningococcal meningitis require post-exposure prophylaxis to eradicate nasopharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and prevent secondary cases. A single oral dose of ciprofloxacin 500 mg is an effective, convenient option for adults, rapidly eliminating carriage and reducing the risk of developing disease in exposed individuals. Other listed antibiotics do not serve as standard prophylaxis for meningococcal exposure (rifampin is traditional but multi-dose; doxycycline and azithromycin aren’t used for this purpose; penicillin G isn’t used for prophylaxis). Therefore, the single-dose ciprofloxacin regimen is the best choice for close-contact prophylaxis.