[Arthritis as complication of acute meningococcal infection].

The incidence of meningococcal disease appears to be increasing in the Netherlands. Numerous complications, mostly involving the central nervous system, have been reported. We focus attention on arthritis by describing the case history of a 2-year-old boy who developed oligoarthritis 8 days after a disease onset characterised by general malaise, fever, signs of meningeal irritation and positive cultures of Neisseria meningitidis in CSF, blood and nasopharynx. The arthritis was probably immune complex mediated. He recovered after antibiotic therapy. There are three forms of arthritis as a complication of meningococcal disease: primary meningococcal arthritis, purulent metastatic arthritis, and immune complex arthritis.