How are Meningococci spread?

How are Meningococci spread?

Meningococcal disease spreads when people are in very close contact with each other for a long time – for example, kissing intimately or living in the same household. The bacteria can only live outside of the body for a few seconds, so you can’t catch meningococcal disease from casual contact or from the environment.

What causes meningococcus?

The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, also called meningococcus, causes meningococcal meningitis. In children and teens, meningococcus is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis. In adults, it is the second most common cause.

What happens when Meningococci survive and multiply in the bloodstream?

Meningococcal meningitis evolves when the bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) progresses from initial adherence to the nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) mucosa to invasion of the deeper mucosal layers (the submucosa). These bacteria rapidly multiply, and can lead to a mild (subclinical) infection.

Can you get meningococcal from food?

Certain germs that cause bacterial meningitis, such as L. monocytogenes, can spread through food. But most of these germs spread from one person to another.

Why do you lose your legs with meningitis?

One deadly complication of meningococcal infection is purpura fulminans where blood clots develop in the bloodstream. These block small blood vessels and cause tissue to die. This is why patients with meningococcal septicaemia lose fingers, toes and entire limbs. Clotting can also damage vital organs.

Is meningococcal meningitis airborne?

People do not catch the bacteria through casual contact or by breathing air where someone with meningococcal disease has been. Sometimes the bacteria spread to people who have had close or lengthy contact with a patient with meningococcal disease.

What 2 illnesses can meningococcal bacteria cause?

Meningococcal disease is a term used to describe two major illnesses – meningitis and septicaemia* (blood poisoning). These can occur on their own or more commonly, both together.