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[Chronic meningococcemia--a rare, but characteristic disease picture]
Abstract:
Chronic meningococcaemia is a rare clinical manifestation of invasive infection by Neisseria meningitidis. The clinical signs and symptoms are recurrent fever, skin rash, arthralgias and headache. This constellation is rather typical and may enable the clinician to establish the diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis is confirmed by the growth of Neisseria meningitidis in the blood culture. In addition, the clinical course under antibiotic treatment leads to a dramatic improvement within 24-48 hours. Positive cultures may be obtained by needle aspiration or skin biopsy. There are a few reports on patients with deficiency of late complement components or immunoglobulin deficiency. We report on two patients with the typical findings of chronic meningococcaemia.
Insights
Chronic meningococcaemia, a rare Neisseria meningitidis infection, presents with recurrent fever and rash. Diagnosis is confirmed by blood culture, with rapid improvement following antibiotic treatment.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Bacteriology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Chronic meningococcaemia is an uncommon presentation of invasive Neisseria meningitidis infection.
- Key clinical features include recurrent fever, skin rash, arthralgias, and headache, aiding diagnosis.
- Previous reports suggest associations with complement or immunoglobulin deficiencies.
Observation:
- The study focuses on two patients exhibiting the characteristic signs and symptoms of chronic meningococcaemia.
- Diagnostic confirmation relies on identifying Neisseria meningitidis via blood culture.
Findings:
- Neisseria meningitidis was successfully cultured from blood samples in both reported cases.
- Patients demonstrated significant clinical improvement within 24-48 hours of initiating antibiotic therapy.
Implications:
- Early clinical recognition of this typical symptom constellation aids diagnosis.
- Understanding chronic meningococcaemia contributes to managing rare invasive bacterial infections.
- Further research into underlying host factors, such as complement or immunoglobulin deficiencies, may be warranted.