Last year there were 3 cases of meningococcal disease in Allen County and there were 76 cases in the entire state. There are 2,400 -3,000 cases in the United States each year. Diagnosis is made by the recovery of meningococci from CSF or blood. In culture negative cases, diagnosis may be supported by the identification of group specific meningococcal polysaccharides. Organisms can also be obtained and identified from petechial Gram stains.
Meningococcal bacteria are susceptible to a number of antibiotics.
Given the high mortality associated with delay in treatment, antimicrobial treatment should be started immediately. Presumptive treatment should include coverage for Haemophilus and Strept pneumonia as well as Neisseria . Treatment should occur within 24 hours of the index case's diagnosis. It is important to note that obtaining nasal or throat cultures from contacts are of no value to determine who needs to be treated prophylactically. The use of meningococcal vaccine should be strongly considered if an outbreak occurs in a large institution or community setting and Serogroup C is the causative agent.