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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d4731013e77">Neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus) causes
significant morbidity and mortality
worldwide through an epidemic or sporadic invasive infections. The epidemiology of
N. meningitidis is changing and unpredictable. Certain emerging meningococcal genotypes
seem to be associated with increasing unusual clinical presentations. Indeed, early
symptoms may vary and are frequently non-specific. However, atypical clinical forms
including abdominal presentations, septic arthritis, and bacteremic pneumonia may
lead to misdiagnosis and some are usually associated with higher case fatality rates
due to delayed optimal management. Improving awareness of clinicians and public health
specialists about these unusual but potentially severe presentations should help establish
prompt diagnoses and provide appropriate management of cases. In this review, we described
unusual panels of clinical presentations of invasive meningococcal disease linked
to the recent changes in meningococcal epidemiology.
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