A more common name of the germ is meningococcus. Meningitis is an infection of the membranes and fluid covering the brain and spinal cord. Meningococcal septicemia is an infection of the blood, often called blood poisoning. Meningitis is the most common type of infection caused by the meningococcus.
Meningococcal septicemia is much more dangerous than meningococcal meningitis.
The symptoms of both meningitis and meningococcal septicemia are presented below. It is important to recognize that meningococcal septicemia has different symptoms than meningitis. A person with meningococcal septicemia may never experience headache or stiff neck. This makes diagnosis very difficult. However, a person with meningococcal septicemia will usually get sicker much more rapidly than someone suffering from a virus infection.