[Acute pericarditis in meningococcal infection].

A case of acute pericarditis in a 2 1/2 year-old girl is reported. It appeared 3 days after the onset of a meningococcal meningitis which was favourably influenced by antibiotherapy. This pericarditis was immunologic in origin and disappeared within a few days with corticosteroid therapy. Differential diagnosis between purulent versus non suppurative acute pericarditis in patients with meningococcal bacteriemia is discussed.