Meningococcal disease, also called meningococcal meningitis, is a serious infectious disease that can be life-threatening and result in permanent complications and coma, shock, and death.
Meningococcal disease appears periodically in every country the world. It has developed into scattered epidemics in Africa and pandemics in Asia. It also can cause outbreaks in places of crowded living conditions, such as college dormitories or on military bases.
Meningococcal disease is caused by a variety of types of the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The N. meningitidis bacteria are carried by humans in the nose and throat and are spread into the air by coughing and/or sneezing. The bacteria are highly contagious, and once they are airborne, they can be picked up by anyone who breathes them into their respiratory tract.
The N. meningitidis bacteria spread from the respiratory tract to the blood stream and to the nervous system. An infection of N. meningitidis is one cause of meningitis. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that encases and bathes the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis caused by meningococcal disease include a high fever and stiff neck, and serious complications can occur. Death can happen in a matter of days. For more information on symptoms, refer to symptoms of meningococcal disease.
Making a diagnosis of meningococcal disease begins with taking a thorough personal and family medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical examination. Diagnostic tests include a lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, which involves withdrawing a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the spine with a needle. The sample of CSF is tested for white blood cells and other indications of meningococcal disease.
A complete blood count (CBC) is also performed is measure the number of different types of blood cells, including white blood cells (WBCs). Different types of WBCs increase in number in characteristic ways during an infectious process, such as meningococcal disease.
Additional tests may be performed in order to rule out or confirm other diseases that may accompany meningococcal disease or cause similar symptoms, such as high fever, headache, and neck stiffness. These may include a throat culture, CT, or X-rays.
It is possible that a diagnosis of meningococcal disease can be missed or delayed because some symptoms, such as fever, headache, and nausea and vomiting, are similar to other diseases. For more information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of meningococcal disease.
Treatment of meningococcal disease includes hospitalization, generally in an intensive care setting, and the intravenous administration of antibiotics. There is also a vaccine available to prevent meningococcal disease, which is often recommended or required for travellers who go to high risk areas of the world or for people, such as military personnel and college students, who live in crowded situations. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of meningococcal disease. ...more »
Meningococcal disease: Meningococcal disease is not only meningitis, but actually includes several types of disease, all caused by the Neisseria meningitidis or just "meningococcus" bacteria. Recent attention to meningococcal disease has arisen due to several epidemics in college students or school age children. Despite this media attention the age group 15-24 is actually only the second most at-risk group, with the highest incidence rates in infants less than a year old. Also significantly at risk are any children under 5 years. ...more »
The symptoms of meningococcal disease can resemble symptoms of other diseases, such as influenza. They include fever, headache, stiff neck, irritability, and nausea and vomiting. Symptoms can develop rapidly and dramatically, within minutes to hours. Fever can be very high and the headache can be intense. There may also be sensitivity to light, and a purple or red ...more symptoms »
The first step in treating meningococcal disease is preventing its occurrence and spread. A vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease is available for children and certain persons at risk for the disease. They include travellers who go to high risk areas of the world and people, such as military personnel and college students, who live in crowded situations. Vaccination may also be ...more treatments »
A diagnosis of meningococcal disease may be delayed because some symptoms may initially be assumed to be related to another condition, such as influenza or migraine headache. Unfortunately, meningococcal disease can progress very rapidly and result in death. People with meningococcal disease have been known to go to bed early with a headache, nausea, and fever, thinking they ...more misdiagnosis »
See full list of 56 symptoms of Meningococcal disease
See full list of 12 treatments for Meningococcal disease
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See full list of 11 Types of Meningococcal disease
Rare types of Meningococcal disease include:
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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Meningococcal disease
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Prognosis for Meningococcal disease: The death rate ranges from 5% to 15%, with young children and adults over 50 having the highest risk of death.
More about prognosis of Meningococcal disease
Visit our research pages for current research about Meningococcal disease treatments.
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Meningococcal disease include:
See full list of 22 Clinical Trials for Meningococcal disease
Prevention information for Meningococcal disease has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Meningococcal disease.
Read more about prevention of Meningococcal disease
Types of Meningococcal disease
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A species of gram-negative, aerobic BACTERIA. It is a commensal and pathogen only of humans, and can be carried asymptomatically in the NASOPHARYNX. When found in cerebrospinal fluid it is the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis (MENINGITIS, MENINGOCOCCAL). It is also found in venereal discharges and blood. There are at least 13 serogroups based on antigenic differences in the capsular polysaccharides; the ones causing most meningitis infections being A, B, C, Y, and W-135. Each serogroup can be further classified by serotype, serosubtype, and immunotype. - (Source - Diseases Database)
Meningococcal disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of
Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This means that Meningococcal disease, or a subtype of Meningococcal disease,
affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Ophanet, a consortium of European partners,
currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000.
They list Meningococcal disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet
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