1. Meningococcemia in Adults: A Review of the Literature.
- Author
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Takada S, Fujiwara S, Inoue T, Kataoka Y, Hadano Y, Matsumoto K, Morino K, and Shimizu T
- Subjects
- Adult, Africa epidemiology, Anti-Bacterial Agents administration & dosage, Cephalosporins administration & dosage, Child, Chloramphenicol administration & dosage, Disease Outbreaks, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation epidemiology, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Humans, Meningococcal Infections epidemiology, Meningococcal Infections immunology, Meningococcal Infections prevention & control, Osteonecrosis microbiology, Penicillin G administration & dosage, Sepsis drug therapy, Sepsis epidemiology, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation drug therapy, Meningococcal Infections drug therapy, Neisseria meningitidis isolation & purification, Sepsis microbiology, Vaccines, Conjugate administration & dosage
- Abstract
We mainly refer to the acute setting of meningococcemia. Meningococcemia is an infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, which has 13 clinically significant serogroups that are distinguishable by the structure of their capsular polysaccharides. N. meningitidis, also called meningococcus, is a Gram-negative, aerobic, diplococcus bacterium. The various consequences of severe meningococcal sepsis include hypotension, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), multiple organ failure, and osteonecrosis due to DIC. The gold standard for the identification of meningococcal infection is the bacteriologic isolation of N. meningitidis from body fluids such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), synovial fluid, and pleural fluid. Blood, CSF, and skin biopsy cultures are used for diagnosis. Meningococcal infection is a medical emergency that requires antibiotic therapy and intensive supportive care. Management of the systemic circulation, respiration, and intracranial pressure is vital for improving the prognosis, which has dramatically improved since the wide availability of antibiotics. This review of the literature provides an overview of current concepts on meningococcemia due to N. meningitidis infection.
- Published
- 2016
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