What Is Meningococcemia?
2. Meningococcemia
Neisseria meningitidis is a type of bacteria that is sometimes responsible for causing meningitis. It can also cause some other types of infection, including meningococcemia. In this instance, the bacteria will remain in the blood without infecting the meninges. The disease typically results in an upper respiratory tract infection.
Some patients infected with the bacterium will suffer from both meningitis and meningococcemia simultaneously. Meningococcemia is a potentially fatal disease so it should be treated as a medical emergency as soon as the condition is diagnosed. It is an airborne disease, meaning it is spread by coughs and sneezes, but the disease is also thankfully very rare.
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