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| Meningococcal disease Classification and external resources |
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| Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman, one of the youngest survivors of the disease. The infected arms had to be amputated later. | |
| ICD-10 | A39. |
| ICD-9 | 036.9 |
| DiseasesDB | 8847 |
| MedlinePlus | 000608 meningitis. 001349 septicemia |
Meningococcal disease describes infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis (also termed meningococcus) and carries a high mortality rate if untreated. Whilst best known as a cause of meningitis, wide spread blood infection (septicemia) is more damaging and dangerous.
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Types of infection
Septicemia
Meningococcal septicemia, like many gram-negative blood infections, can cause disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a condition where blood starts to clot throughout the body, sometimes causing ischemic tissue damage. DIC also causes bleeding, when the clotting factors are used up, causing the characteristic purpuric rash.
Meningitis
Meningococcal meningitis is a consequence of bacteria entering the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and irritating the meninges - the membranes that line the brain and spinal cord.
Prevention
The most important form of prevention is a vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis. Different countries have different strains of the bacteria and therefore use different vaccines. Five serogroups, A, B, C, Y and W135 are responsible for virtually all cases of the disease in humans. Vaccines are currently available against four of the five strains, and a vaccine against the B strain is in development. Menactra and Menomune are two commonly used vaccines. Unfortunately, there is currently no evidence that any of the current vaccines offer significant protection beyond three years.
Additionally, basic hygiene measures, such as handwashing and not sharing drinking cups, can reduce the incidence of infection by limiting exposure.
When a case is confirmed, all close contacts with the infected person can be offered antibiotics to reduce the likelihood of the infection spreading to other people.
See also
External links
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 July 2008, at 21:09.
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