What it is

Meningococcal disease is a name for any infection caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis.

Types

The two most common types of meningococcal infections are meningitis and the bloodstream infections.

With meningococcal meningitis, the bacteria infect the lining of the brain and spinal cord and cause swelling.

With a meningococcal bloodstream infection, the bacteria enter the blood and damage the walls of the blood vessels. This causes bleeding in the skin and organs.

Symptoms

The symptoms are different for meningococcal meningitis and bloodstream infections. However, both are very serious and can be fatal.

Risk factors

Many factors affect a person’s risk of meningococcal disease, including age and certain medical conditions and medications.

Reasons

N. meningitidis are bacteria that can live in the back of the nose and throat. About 1 in 10 people have these bacteria in their throats and are not sick.

Sometimes the bacteria move to other parts of the body and cause infection.

Spread to others

People spread meningococcal bacteria to others by sharing of respiratory and throat secretions (spit or saliva).

In general, it takes close or long-term contact to spread the bacteria.

• Example of close contact: Kissing
• Example of long-term contact: Cohabitation

They are not as contagious as bacteria that cause colds or flu.

Prevention

Vaccination

The best way to prevent meningococcal disease is to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends meningococcal vaccination for

• All preteens and teenagers
• Children and adults at increased risk of meningococcal disease

Talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated against meningococcal disease.

Antibiotics

Close contacts of someone with meningococcal disease should receive antibiotics to prevent them from getting sick. A health care provider or health department generally decides who should receive preventive antibiotics.

Reinfection

Although rare, people can get meningococcal disease more than once. People who get meningococcal disease twice should be tested to see if they have an underlying immunodeficiency (weakened immune system).

Testing and diagnosis

Meningococcal disease can be difficult to diagnose because signs and symptoms often resemble other diseases.

Health care providers who suspect meningococcal disease will collect samples of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (fluid near the spinal cord). They then send the samples to a lab for testing.

If there are bacteria in the samples, lab workers can culture (cultivate) and test them. This helps healthcare providers know what’s causing the infection and which antibiotic works best.

Other tests can sometimes detect and identify the bacteria if the cultures do not.

Treatment and recovery

Health care providers treat meningococcal disease with antibiotics. A patient will get antibiotics right away if a healthcare provider thinks they have meningococcal disease. Antibiotics help reduce the risk of dying.

Depending on how severe the infection is, people with meningococcal disease may need other treatmentsincluding:

• Respiratory support
• Medicines to treat low blood pressure
• Surgery to remove dead tissue
• Wound care for parts of the body with damaged skin