Severe meningococcal infection: a review of epidemiology, diagnosis, and management.

Neisseria meningitidis, also known as meningococcus, is a relatively uncommon cause of invasive infection, but when it occurs it is frequently severe and potentially life threatening. Meningococcus should be considered and investigated promptly as a potentially etiologic pathogen in any patient with meningitis, or sepsis accompanied by a petechial rash. Suspected patients should receive early appropriate antimicrobial therapy concomitantly with confirmatory invasive diagnostic tests. Vaccines have reduced the incidence of infection with certain non-B meningococcal serogroups, and new serotype B vaccines are on the horizon. This article reviews the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of severe meningococcal infections.