The student at Drexel University who died from meningitis type B has been found to have first fallen ill after coming into contact with students from Princeton University.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a distinct match between the strain from the Princeton outbreak and the Drexel student, Philly.com reported. Stephanie Ross, 19, died March 10 at a Philadelphia hospital after being found unresponsive in her sorority house.
Eight other cases have been reported at Princeton in the past year, but none have been fatal. The school systematically vaccinated any person at risk of contracting the disease and it is believed to have been contained.
The two campuses are only 47 miles apart, so the outbreak is not expected to have reached outside the region. UC Santa Barbara also experienced a meningitis outbreak and was approved, like Princeton, for a systematic vaccination on campus.
"While it is not possible to definitively conclude how the Drexel student contracted meningococcal disease, the case indicates that the outbreak strain may still be present," Princeton said in a statement. "It does not indicate whether or not more cases will occur at Drexel or Princeton universities."
Dr. Thomas Clark, of the CDC, told NBC News he too does not believe Ross' death indicates an impending outbreak at Drexel.
"That investigation did identify some Princeton students as close contacts and they were given antibiotics," he said. "The fact that the strain matches means that they are most likely source (of infection)."
The CDC is positive that the Princeton outbreak strain matches the one that Ross was infected with. They will remain in contact with both schools and take action if necessary.
"CDC's laboratory analysis shows that the strain in Princeton University's serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak matches the strain in the Drexel University case by 'genetic fingerprinting,'" the CDC said in a statement. "This information suggests that the outbreak strain may still be present in the Princeton University community and we need to be vigilant for additional cases."
