Meningococcemia
Basics
Description
- A systemic infection with the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, a gram-negative diplococcus that is relatively fastidious. Despite treatment with appropriate antibiotics, this disease may have a fulminant course (i.e., significant complications within hours of presentation) with a high likelihood of mortality.
- 13 serogroups have been described on the basis of capsular polysaccharide antigens; serotypes B, C, and Y account for most of the cases in the United States. Serogroup Y accounted for 30% of cases between 1996 and 1998.
General Prevention
- Isolation of the hospitalized patient; hospitalized patients require respiratory isolation until 24 hours after initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy.
- Exposed contacts, including household, day care, and nursery school, should receive the following:
- Rifampin, 10 mg/kg (maximum 600 mg) PO q12h for 4 doses
- Contacts <1 month of age should receive rifampin 5 mg/kg PO q12h for 4 doses.
- Alternatively, ceftriaxone is also effective prophylaxis for contacts ≤15 years of age; a single dose of 125 mg IM is recommended.
- For contacts >15 years old, ceftriaxone 250 mg IM is recommended. Its safety profile is preferred for pregnant women.
- Medical personnel should receive prophylaxis only if they had close contact with respiratory secretions.
- Vaccines for types A, C, Y, and W-135 are available and produce an immune response in 10–14 days.
- A tetravalent conjugate meningococcal vaccine, MCV4, is licensed for use in people in the age range of 2–55 years. It is recommended in all unimmunized 11–12-year-old adolescents, with a booster dose at age 16 years.
- Serotype B vaccine was recently approved by the FDA and is licensed for use in people 10–25 years of age.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend routine adolescent immunization with the exception of persons with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) who are not in a high-risk group for invasive meningococcal disease. An updated fact sheet on GBS and MCV4 is available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Concerns/gbsfactsheet.html. A study published in 2012 did not support an association between GBS and MCV4 vaccination.
Epidemiology
- The rates of meningococcal disease in the United States have remained stable at 0.9–1.5 cases per 100,000 population per year.
- Children <5 years of age are most often affected, with peak incidence between 3 and 5 months of age.
- During epidemics, more school-aged children may be affected.
- The disease occurs most commonly in winter and spring months.
- Increased disease activity may follow an influenza A outbreak.
Risk Factors
- Patients with asplenia, deficiencies of properdin C3, or a terminal complement component (C5–C9), and HIV are at increased risk for invasive and recurrent disease.
- Organism virulence factors, such as differences in the bacterial cell wall lipopolysaccharide, play a role in disease severity. Less virulent organisms are more likely in chronic meningococcemia, which has a favorable prognosis.
Genetics
- Inherited deficiency of terminal complement may be found in 5–10% of patients during epidemics. The frequency increases to 30% in patients with recurrent disease.
- A number of other immune function–related genes associated with either susceptibility or protection from infection have been identified.
Pathophysiology
- Fulminant disease is signified by diffuse microvascular damage and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC); see “Diagnosis” section.
- Death results from effects of endotoxic shock, including circulatory collapse and myocardial dysfunction.
Etiology
- Colonization and infection of the upper respiratory tract occurs after inhalation of, or direct contact with, the organism, usually in oral secretions.
- Disseminated disease occurs when the organism penetrates the nasal mucosa and enters the bloodstream, where it replicates.
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Citation
Cabana, Michael D., editor. "Meningococcemia." Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics, 7th ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2015. Medicine Central, im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14201/all/Meningococcemia.
Meningococcemia. In: Cabana MDM, ed. Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics. Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14201/all/Meningococcemia. Accessed May 31, 2023.
Meningococcemia. (2015). In Cabana, M. D. (Ed.), Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics (7th ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health. https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14201/all/Meningococcemia
Meningococcemia [Internet]. In: Cabana MDM, editors. Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics. Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. [cited 2023 May 31]. Available from: https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14201/all/Meningococcemia.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Meningococcemia
ID - 14201
ED - Cabana,Michael D,
BT - Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics
UR - https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14201/all/Meningococcemia
PB - Wolters Kluwer Health
ET - 7
DB - Medicine Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -