Clinical and epidemiological implications of meningococcal disease.

Meningococcal disease is caused by Neisseria meningitidis and is an infection which rapidly progresses to multiorgan failure. It was a major killer in the epidemics of the 1980's in the United States. With the advent of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine in the 1990s, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis have become the most common causes of bacterial meningitis in the United States. This article provides a review of the meningococcal illness and attempts to update current information regarding the same.