Written question asked by Jon Owen Jones (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 6 February 1997. It was answered by Lord Horam (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 February 1997 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: If he will estimate how long it currently takes, on average, for a microbiology laboratory test to identify whether a patient is suffering from the C-group of meningitis. - (Holding answer 27 January 1997).

Answer: Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate how long it currently takes, on average, for a microbiology laboratory test to identify whether a patient is suffering from the C group of meningitis. [13015] Mr. Horam: [holding answer 27 January 1997]: When alive meningococcus is isolated from a case--currently about 60 per cent. of cases--provisional confirmation of the serogroup as "C" can usually be made within 24 hours. Confirmation of this provisional typing will take longer. Quite frequently a meningococcus is not isolated, usually as a consequence of successful pre-hospital antibiotic treatment by the general practitioner, and confirmation of the "C" strain can then only be done by molecular methods at a reference laboratory. It cannot be achieved in all cases, and takes up to two weeks. In some cases, molecular methods do not provide a diagnosis and serological tests may then show evidence of infection several weeks after the acute episode.

Secondary information