Symptoms
Meningococcus can cause a life-threatening meningitis, called meningococcal meningitis, and blood poisoning, called meningococemia. The three typical symptoms of meningitis include fever, severe headache and neck stiffness. Other possible symptoms include nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and neurological disorders such as confusion. In infants and young children, symptoms may be absent or difficult to recognize. Sepsis manifests as chills, muscle and joint pain, and skin bleeding, among other symptoms. Meningococcal disease can cause life-threatening complications such as shock, bleeding, a drop in blood pressure, coma and organ failure, and often has a fatal outcome. Those who survive the disease often face long-term consequences such as hearing loss, amputations, brain damage, paralysis and seizure disorders.
Causes
The cause of the disease is an invasive infection with the bacterium , a gram-negative diplococcus. Humans are the only host. Up to 15% of the population are asymptomatic carriers of meningococcus in the nasopharynx. Neisseria are divided into different serogroups. Serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y are the most important pathogens worldwide. The bacteria are transmitted from person to person via droplets, e.g. when sneezing, coughing or kissing. Infection is also possible when sharing personal items. Close contact with the secretions of the nasopharynx is necessary. The incubation period is between 2 to 10 days. The disease is observed mainly in children, in adolescents and young adults. There is a risk where many people live together in close quarters, for example, in military service, on pilgrimages, in dormitories, schools, or boarding schools. In many countries, about 40 to 50 cases are reported each year.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is made in medical treatment on the basis of the patient’s history, clinical symptoms, physical examination, and laboratory methods (blood, cerebrospinal fluid).
Drug treatment
Treatment is given as an inpatient in the hospital. For drug therapy, intravenous antibiotics are administered as soon as possible, especially penicillins and cephalosporins. Close contacts also receive antibiotics as chemoprophylaxis.
Prevention
Several vaccines are available for prevention. These include the monovalent vaccine against group C meningococcus (MCV-C) and the quadrivalent vaccine against serogroups A, C, W, and Y (MCV-ACWY).