Zusammenfassung

• Acute contagious illness, characterised by fever, petechial or purpuric rash, and signs of sepsis and/or meningitis.
• May progress rapidly to septic shock, with hypotension, acidosis, and DIC.
• Highest rates of invasive infection are in children under 5 years of age, especially under 1 year of age, with a second peak occurring in 11- to 22-year-olds.
• Diagnosis confirmed by isolation of Neisseria meningitidis from a normally sterile body site.
• Treated with parenteral benzylpenicillin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, or chloramphenicol.
• Case fatality rate is 5% to 10%. Between 10% and 20% of survivors have moderate to severe sequelae, including hearing loss, motor and cognitive disabilities, blindness, or ischaemic injuries of the skin or extremities.