<prompt> The following statements about meningococcal meningitis are true exceptThe source of infection is mainly clinical caseThe disease is more common in dry and cold months of the yearChemoprophylaxis of close contacts of cases is recommendedThe vaccine is not effective in children below 2 yrs of age  <response>: The human nasopharynx is the only reservoir of the Meningococcus. Asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriers rarely contract the illness but serve to infect their contacts Transmission is essentially by airborne droplets or less often by fomites. So the best specimen to be collected for Neisseria meningitidis is nasopharyngeal swab. Reference: Textbook of Microbiology; Anathanarayan and panickers; 10th edition; Page no: 232 