Isolation of Neissseria meningitidis from an unusual site

A 59-year-old post-menopausal lady who had returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca about a month earlier presented with a three days' history of profuse vaginal discharge. Neissseria meningitidis was isolated from high vaginal swab specimens taken from her on 2 occasions, five days apart. Her symptoms disappeared without treatment after two weeks. We conclude that although the organism may have been a colonizer, it is possible that it was responsible for the self-limiting genital infection in this patient.