Abstract
Shortly after the return from an icehockey training camp one out of 14 team members was hospitalized suffering from meningococcal disease (MD). The next day another boy was hospitalized for the same reason. The first of the two patients had a rapid evolution of disease with septicemia and high levels of plasma endotoxin. The other suffered from a lighter disease with protracted development and low plasma levels of endotoxin. In both cases meningococci were isolated from blood cultures. Among the remaining healthy team mates, three were pharyngeal carriers of meningococci. All isolated strains were N. meningitidis serogroup C; serotype 2a: P1.2. Analysis of restriction enzyme (Hindlll) digests of bacterial DNA confirmed that the strains were identical.
In an outbreak of MD with a common strain the endotoxin level in plasma seems to be closely related to clinical outcome. In a given epidemic situation the strain causing MD seems less important as the same strain gave different clinical presentations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bjorvatn, B., V. Lund, B-E. Kristiansen, L. Korsnes, O. Spanne & B. Lindquist (1984) Applications of restriction endonuclease fingerprinting of chromosomal DNA of Neisseria meningitidis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 19:763–765
Brandtzæg, P., P. Kierulf, L. F. Engebretsen & P. Gaustad (1986). Plasma LPS and clinical picture in meningococcal disease (In press). Fifth International Pathogenic Neisseriae Conference, Amsterdam
Engebretsen, L. F., P. Kierulf & P. Brandtzaeg (1986) Extreme plasminogen activator inhibitor and endotoxin values in patients with meningococcal disease. — Trombosis Res. 42:713–716
Frøholm, L. O., E. Holten, J. T. Poolman & W. D. Zollinger (1985) Typing of Norwegian meningococcal isolates and possible implications for serogroup B vaccination. In: G. K. Schoolnik et. al. (Eds) The Pathogenic NeisseriaeProceedings of the Conference on Immunology of Neisseria-ceae(pp. 541—545). American Society for Microbiology, Washington D.C.
Harthug, S., B. Bjorvatn & B. Østerud (1983) Quantitation of endotoxinemia in meningococcal disease using a limulus lysate test in combination with a chromogenic substrate. Infection 11:192–195
Lewis, L. S. (1979) Prognostic factors in acute meningococcaemia. Arch. Dis. Child. 54:44–48
Tubbs, H. R. (1980) Endotoxin in meningococcal infections. Arch. Dis. Child. 55:808–819
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bjune, G. et al. (1988). Outcome of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C infection in a small outbreak of disease. In: Poolman, J.T. (eds) Gonococci and Meningococci. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1383-7_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1383-7_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7117-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1383-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive