Meningococcal meningitis in children: clinical comparison of disease produced by the minor and major serologic groups of Neisseria meningitidis.

Since 1972, there has been an increased incidence of meningococcal disease due to the minor serologic groups, "serogroups," of Neisseria meningitidis. Few cases, however, have been reported in pediatric patients. We present 24 cases of meningococcal meningitis, ten of them (42%) due to serogroups X, Y, and Z N meningitidis. We believe these cases to be the largest group of pediatric patients with such meningitis thus far reported. The clinical disease produced by the minor serogroups was indistinguishable from that produced by the major serogroups. Our experience supports previous published reports that severe meningococcal disease does occur with the minor serogroups of N meningitidis, and this increasing incidence may be of major importance if vaccination programs are to be effective in controlling epidemic meningococcal disease.