• Paul A Campsall, Kevin B Laupland, and Daniel J Niven.
• Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, 3500 26th Avenue Northeast, Calgary, Alberta T1Y 6J4, Canada.
• Crit Care Clin. 2013 Jul 1;29(3):393-409.

AbstractNeisseria 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.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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