Cause of death in meningococcic infection

Meningococcal disease deaths and the frequency of antibiotic administration delays

“…This confirms previous studies 2, 8,9 and reinforces the assertion that MCD is a medical emergency. The finding that a number of patients in our MCD death cohort had a prolonged timeto-antibiotic is therefore concerning.…”

“…An over-emphasis on meningeal symptoms is at variance with the observation from our study that 92% of the deaths had evidence of a septicaemic component to their illness rather than meningitis as the sole cause of death. This finding is very similar to an autopsy study from the 1940s, 9 where septicaemia was seen in 91% of 300 fatal MCD cases. Although rashes were commonly seen in our study, there is increasing recognition that they are relatively late features with the median time from first MCD symptom to onset being: 8.5 h in children under 5 years, 14 h in children from 5 to 14 years and 19 h in those over 15 years.…”

Meningococcemia complicada por miocardite

“…O comprometimento pericárdico é pouco freqüente e, geralmente, sem manifestações clínicas, o que torna difícil sua caracterização 3 . O acometimento miocárdico é raro [4][5][6] , sendo a sua grande maioria relatada como achado de necropsia [7][8][9] . Este trabalho tem por objetivo relatar caso de meningococcemia exteriorizado por meningite, com comprometimento miocárdico, ocorrido no fim do inverno no Rio de Janeiro.…”

Experimental pneumococcal and staphylococcal sepsis: effects of hydrocortisone and phenoxybenzamine upon mortality rates.

“…The institution of appropriate antimicrobial therapy after a critical period in infectious diseases of man and experimental animals may fail to prevent death (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). In these circumstances, death is probably attributable to biochemical or physiologic derangements that are not reversed by elimination of the infecting microorganisms (5).…”