Bug breakfast in the Bulletin: meningococcal disease.

Abstract

What is meningococcal disease? Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The bacteria are transmitted from person to person through nasopharyngeal secretions. Close and prolonged contact is usually required for transmission. Most people carry the bacteria asymptomatically in the nose and throat. Disease occurs very rarely when bacteria invade the bloodstream. Meningococcal disease usually presents as meningitis, septicaemia, or a combination of the two, and is fatal in approximately 3% of cases. N. meningitidis can be classified into serogroups. Most meningococcal disease in Australia is caused by serogroup B; less common serogroups are C, A, W135 and Y.