Meningococci are bacteria that cause meningococcal disease. The scientific name for these nasty little germs is Neisseria meningitides. When the bacteria affect the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, the resulting disease is
Meningococci are bacteria that cause meningococcal disease. The scientific name for these nasty little germs is Neisseria meningitides. When the bacteria affect the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, the resulting disease is called bacterial meningitis; when they attack the blood, it is called septicemia. Meningococci bacteria are very common and live naturally in the back of the nose and throat in 10 percent of the population without affecting them.
Sometimes, a certain strain of the bacteria enters the bloodstream and causes this awful disease before the body can fight it off. Once the bacterium invades the body, time becomes crucial. Intense antibiotic therapy is needed as soon as possible to fight the bacteria, limiting the chances of debilitating damage to the body such as brain damage, kidney failure, paralysis and death. Knowing the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease is ke