Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is caused by dysregulation of the complement system, leading to complement overactivation. A humanized anti-C5 monoclonal antibody, eculizumab, has been available for the treatment of aHUS since 2011. The long-term safety and efficacy of this novel drug in the pediatric population remain under review. We present a child with a hybrid CFH/CFHR3 gene who,...

The highest incidence of meningococcal disease occurs in infants younger than 1 year of age. However, in the US, prior to June 2012, there was no meningococcal vaccine licensed for use in this age group. In the US, where both serogroups C and Y contribute substantially to the overall epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease, a vaccine combining these capsular polysaccharides was developed...

PURPOSE Prompt recognition and aggressive early treatment are the only effective measures against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). Anti-inflammatory adjunctive treatment remains controversial and difficult to assess in patients with IMD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone (DXM) as adjunctive treatment in different clinical forms of IMD, and attempt to ans...

In the era after the introduction of the meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine, from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2010, serogroup B meningococci were the major cause of invasive meningococcal disease in the province of Québec, Canada, being responsible for 72% of all meningococcal disease cases. Of the 334 invasive serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis strains analyzed, 53.9% belonged to th...

Invasive meningococcal infections show a broad clinical picture in sepsis and meningitis. The clinical reports of the disease do not include diarrhea as an initial clinical presentation, since it is only seldom reported. Here is a description of two cases of meningococcal infection with diarrhea as the main initial clinical manifestation and posterior emergence of the classical signs and symptoms.

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y has increased in Europe, especially in Scandinavia. In Sweden, serogroup Y is now the dominating serogroup, and in 2012, the serogroup Y disease incidence was 0.46/100,000 population. We previously showed that a strain type belonging to sequence type 23 was responsible for the increased prevalence of this serogrou...

Neisseria meningitidis is an important cause of bacterial meningitis, particularly in infants over three months old and in teenagers. The relative importance of meningococcal disease over invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease has increased following the introduction ofHib capsular vaccines in 1990. In about one fifth of infections with Neisseria meningitidis the organism causes a predominantl...

INTRODUCTION Invasive meningococcal disease can be difficult to detect early in its course when patients may appear well and the severity of their illness is obscured by non-specific complaints. CASE PRESENTATION We report five cases of meningococcal sepsis in adult patients who presented to an emergency department early in the course of their disease, but whose severity of illness was not re...

The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease in adolescents and young adults of high school and college age has recently increased in the United States. Recent studies indicate that certain groups of college students are at increased risk. This has led to the recent Advisory Committee Immunization Practices recommendation that college freshman dormitory residents be provided information abou...