Meningococcal Infection

The sudden and limited outbreak of Meningococcal infection in South Africa turned tragic after a 6 month old baby girl died of the infection in Adelaide (South Africa) on the 11th of September. Four other people are battling the disease as of now, but the outbreak seems to be contained. This is a pretty rare disease and it’s typically preventable through a vaccine. Let’s discuss it and try to raise awareness about the issue.

Meningococcal disease is caused by a bacterium Neisseria meningitidis and has been around for a very long time. It spreads through the exchange of body fluids and is endemic in most communities, which means that the bugs are everywhere and tend to colonize lots of people without ever causing any problems. They spread most effectively through saliva, but sweat and other body fluids can transmit them as well. For reasons that medical science doesn’t fully understand some people get colonized and the bacteria becomes active causing an infection.

Neisseria is most famously known for causing bacterial meningitis in children and newborns which is fairly treatable with antibiotics. However, it’s deadlier if it gets into the bloodstream causing sepsis (the bacteria grows and spreads in the bloodstream directly, spreading from system to system). When sepsis occurs, they release a toxin which interferes with the blood’s chemistry. They start consuming the natural molecules which lead to clotting in the blood. This has 2 major effects on the sufferer:

• The patient starts having trouble dealing with the most minor bleeds and gets bruises (star shaped pattern bruises are the most commonly described) as well as serious internal bleeding
• Tiny clots start travelling in the blood stream and can lodge in smaller arteries leading to the organs and resulting in their damage.

The entire process is called DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy) and requires intensive care treatment. Neisseria can also hit other organs. It can cause pneumonia and can even infect the heart, leading to serious complications.

The diagnosis of Neisseria can be done in many ways. The two most accurate methods are PCR testing (polymerase chain reaction) and culturing. PCR tests for Neisseria's genetic signature while culturing is the process of trying to grow the bacteria in the lab from tissue samples taken from the patient (usually a blood or spinal fluid sample).

There is a meningococcal vaccine available that covers the most common types of Neisseria. The vaccine is effective in preventing most infections, but there are multiple strains that may cause problems. The vaccine has very few disadvantages and has turned the bacteria from a worldwide affliction to a disease which occurs in isolated outbreaks (like in South Africa).

Getting your child vaccinated is a safe and effective method of preventing this dreaded infection.