<prompt> Most important source of infection for meningococci:CaseSubclinical infectionCarriersLatent case  <response>: During periods of endemic disease, about 10 of the general population harbour Neisseria meningitidis in the nasopharynx. Since N. meningitidis is a strict human pathogen and most patients have not been in contact with other cases, asymptomatic carriers are presumably the major source of the pathogenic strains. 