[Chronic meningococcemia]

Abstract

Chronic meningococcemia is an unfrequent clinical picture within the spectrum of infections produced by Neisseria meningitidis. It is classically characterized by fever, skin lesions and joint involvement, usually without meningeal involvement, and with blood culture growth of the responsible bacteria. It generally affects previously healthy young people. It is unknown why these patients, unlike patients with Neisseria meningitidis's acute meningitis and with acute meningococcemia, can survive without complications during weeks, in abscence of an useful antibiotic treatment. It has been hypothesized that owing to high susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics of Neisseria meningitidis, many cases may be treated inadvertently. We describe a case of chronic meningococcemia in a young woman who presented a classical clinical picture, not recognized initially.