Laboratory-acquired meningococcal disease--United States, 2000.

Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis among older children and young adults in the United States. N. meningitidis usually is transmitted through close contact with aerosols or secretions from the human nasopharynx. Although N. meningitidis is regularly isolated in clinical laboratories, it has infrequently been reported as a cause of laboratory-acquired infection. This report describes two probable cases of fatal laboratory-acquired meningococcal disease and the results of an inquiry to identify previously unreported cases. The findings indicate that N. meningitidis isolates pose a risk for microbiologists and should be handled in a manner that minimizes risk for exposure to aerosols or droplets.