Meningococcal infections

BackgroundThe gram-negative diplococcus Neisseria meningitides is a major infectious cause of childhood death in developed countries. The mortality rate remains around 10%; however, in some specialist centers, it has decreased to less than 5%.1 Only meningitis is present in 30-50% of cases of invasive meningococcal disease, whereas 7-10% of cases have only features of septicemia, and 40% have meningitis with septicemia. The clinical difference between septicemia and meningitis is important because patients who present with shock are treated differently than patients who present primarily with increased intracranial pressure (ICP).