Antibiotics for eradicating meningococcal carriages: Network meta-analysis and investigation of evidence inconsistency

Table 1 Main characteristics of studies included in network meta-analysis

Ref.	Antibiotics	Country and population	Carrier status	Serogroups and susceptibility	Study design	Sequence generation	Allocation concealment
Blakebrough et al[14]	Rifampin: 4 × 75 mg for 0-2 yr, 4 × 150 mg for 2-4 yr, 4 × 300 mg for 5-14 yr, 4 × 600 mg for > 15 yr (bid, 2 d) Sulphadimidine: 4 × 250 mg for 0-4 yr, 4 × 500 mg for 5-14 yr, 4 × 1 g for > 15 yr (bid, 2 d)	Nigeria Household contacts	Any carriers	Group A Susceptibility tested	Cluster quasi-RCT	Inadequate	Inadequate
Borgoño et al[15]	Rifampin: 2 × 10 mg/kg Placebo	Chile Children	Any carriers	Group unknown Susceptibility not tested	RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Cuevas et al[16]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg for > 18 yr, 4 × 20 mg/kg for 2-18 yr (bid, 2 d) Ciprofloxacin: 1 × 750 mg for > 18 yr, 1 × 15 mg/kg for 2-18 yr	Malawi Household contacts	Any carriers	Group A: 51% (unknown 49%) Susceptibility tested	Cluster RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Deal et al[17]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg (4 d) Placebo	United States Healthy students	Heavy/ Persistent (3 positive cultures)	Group B Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Adequate
Deal et al[18]	Cephalexin: 12 × 500 mg (tid, 4 d) Placebo	United States Students	Persistent (3 positive cultures)	Group B Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Adequate
Deviatkina et al[19]	Rifampin: 4 × 300 mg (4 d) Placebo	Russia Unclear	Unknown	Group unknown Susceptibility tested	RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Devine et al[20]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg (4 d) Placebo	United States Army recruits	Any carriers	Group Y: 79% Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Devine et al[21]	Coumermycin A1: 14 × 50 mg (bid, 7 d) Placebo	United States Army recruits	Any carriers	Group unknown Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Devine et al[22]	Minocycline: 1 × 200 mg + 9 × 100 mg (bid, 5 d) Placebo	United States Army recruits	Any carriers	Group Y: 63% Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Devine et al[22]	Minocycline: 4 × 200 mg (bid, 2 d) No antibiotic	United States Army recruits	Any carriers	Group Y: Most Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Dowd et al[23]	Ampicillin: 30 × 500 mg (tid, 10 d) Penicillin: 30 × 462 mg (tid, 10 d) Placebo	United States Amy recruits	Any carriers	Group B and sulfadiazine-resistant	RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Dworzack et al[24]	Ciprofloxacin: 1 × 750 mg Placebo	United States Young adults	Persistent (3 positive cultures)	Group B: 41%, Z: 33% Susceptibility tested	RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Girgis et al[25]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg (bid, 2 d) Azithromycin: 1 × 500 mg	Egypt Nursing students	Any carriers	Group A: 37%; B: 33% Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Guttler et al[26]	Rifampin: 5 × 600 mg (5 d) Minocycline 10 × 100 mg (bid, 5 d) Ampicillin 10 × 500 mg (bid, 5 d) Placebo	United States Army recruits	Any carriers	Group B or C: 31% (non- groupable 67%) Susceptibility tested	Cluster RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Judson et al[27]	Ceftriaxone: im 1 × 125 mg Spectinomycin: im 1 × 2 g	United States Patients with gonorrhoea	Any carriers	Group unknown Susceptibility tested	RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Kaiser et al[28]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg for weight ≥ 66 lb, or 4 × 300 mg for weight < 66 lb (4 d) Placebo	United States Household contacts	Any carriers	Group C: 35% Susceptibility tested	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Kaya et al[29]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg (bid, 2 d) Ciprofloxacin: 1 × 750 mg	Turkey Healthy adults	Any carriers	Group unknown Susceptibility not tested	Quasi RCT	Inadequate	Inadequate
Munford et al[30]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg (bid, 2 d) Minocycline: 1 × 200 mg + 5 × 100 mg (bid, 3 d) Rifampin + Minocycline: as above Sulphadiazine: 4 × 1 g (bid, 2 d)	Brazil Household contacts	Any carriers	Group C: Most Susceptibility tested	Cluster quasi-RCT	Inadequate	Inadequate
Pugsley et al[32]	Sch29482: 16 × 250 mg (every 6 h for 4 d) Placebo	United States	Persistent carriers (2 positive cultures)	Group Z: 36%; B: 24%	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Pugsley et al[31]	Ciprofloxacin: 10 × 500 mg (bid, 5 d) Placebo	Young men United States	Persistent (2 positive cultures)	Susceptibility tested Group B: 79%	RCT	Adequate	Unclear
Renkonen et al[33]	Ciprofloxacin: 4 × 250 mg (bid, 2 d) Placebo	Young adults Finland	Heavy (> 100 colonies per plate)	Susceptibility tested Group B: 45%	RCT	Adequate	Adequate
Schwartz et al[34]	Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg or 4 × 10 mg/kg (bid, 2 d)	Army recruits Saudi Arabia	Any carriers	Susceptibility tested Group A	Cluster RCT	Unclear	Unclear
Simmons et al[35]	Ceftriaxone: im 1 × 250 mg (or 125 mg for < 15 yr) Rifampin: 4 × 600 mg for adults, 4 × 5 mg/kg for children < 1 mo, and 4 × 10 mg for children > 1 mo (bid, 2 d) Ceftriaxone: im 1 × 250 mg, or 1 × 125 mg for < 12 yr	Household contacts New Zealand Household contacts	Any carriers	Susceptibility tested Group B: 53% Susceptibility tested	RCT	Unclear	Unclear

im: Intramuscular; bid: Twice a day; tid: Three times a day; RCT: Randomized controlled trials.