Invasive meningococcal disease in a presumably immunocompetent patient

Abstract

Invasive meningococcal disease is caused by the invasion of Neisseira meningitidis in the bloodstream,
which can result in meningococcemia and septic shock, purpura fulminans, meningococcal meningitis,
pneumonia, arthritis, and pericarditis. Due to the diagnostic challenges it presented and the high mortality,
we describe the presentation of a case of meningococcemia and meningitis. A 46-year-old male, with no
known history, who presented invasive meningococcal disease due to Neisseira Meningitidis serogroup W,
who was diagnosed with IgG type multiple myeloma during hospitalization. Although meningococcal
infection in patients with multiple myeloma is rare, this case raised the need for us to suspect it in
presumably immucompetent patients with bacterial meningitis, in the presence of clinical findings not
explained by the infection and compatible with target organ damage due to bacterial meningitis.