Affiliation:
1. Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, National Reference Laboratory for Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Abstract
Introduction
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a rare condition with a high case fatality rate. While most patients suffer from one single episode in life, there is anecdotal evidence for recurrent infection.
Aim
The German National Reference Laboratory for Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae (NRZMHi) analysed IMD cases from 2002 to 2018 to retrospectively quantify the risk of recurrent infection.
Methods
Recurrent IMD was defined as detection of Neisseria meningitidis in a sample of the same patient more than 30 days after the first episode of IMD.
Results
Among 5,854 patients with a median observation period of 9.4 years, 14 suffered a second IMD episode and one patient a third one. The risk of a recurrent IMD was 29.4 per 100,000 person-years for survivors of the first episode. Rare serogroups (Y, W, E and Z) were more common in patients with recurrent IMD (p < 0.0001).
Discussion
Patients surviving IMD were at least at a 50-fold risk of another IMD episode compared with the general population. The study most likely underestimated the risk of recurrent infection. Increased risk may be due to undiagnosed complement deficiencies. The high risk of re-infection argues for vaccination of patients who have survived IMD.
Publisher
European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
Subject
Virology,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Epidemiology
Cited by
6 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献