Table 1 Patients with systemic meningococcal disease and their clinical characteristics
Patient No Serogroup | Neisserial DNA; copy number of N.meningitidis/mL LPS (LAL); EU/mL at admission to hospital* not available | Age of tissue at isolation time of DNA (years) | Type of storage methods | Type of organ tissue | Findings at autopsy # no obviously pathological changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Serogroup B | 2.8x108copies/mL (plasma) 2100 EU/mL (plasma) No spinal puncture was performed | 11 | FFPE | Skin Adrenal glands Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys Spleen Brain | Skin hemorrhages Hemorrhage Edema Petechiae on epicard and endocard # Dark-red congested medulla and pale cortex (shock kidneys). Fibrin thrombi in glomeruli. # Fibrin thrombi in vessels in choroid plexus |
2 Serogroup B | 3.8x107copies/mL (plasma) 271 EU/mL (plasma) No spinal puncture was performed | 10 | FFPE | Skin Adrenal glands Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys Spleen Brain | Skin hemorrhages Hemorrhage An localized area with atelectasis, some neutrophils and small hemorrhages. Fibrin thrombi in vessels. Petechiae on epicard # Congested vessels in medulla and fibrin thrombi in glomeruli # Fibrin thrombi in some vessels |
3 Serogroup B most likely | 1.0x108copies/mL (serum) 2140 EU/mL (serum) Spinal puncture was performed post mortem. CSF contained 8 EU/mL | 5 5 | FFPE FF | Skin Adrenal glands Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys Spleen Brain | Skin hemorrhages Hemorrhage # Petechiae on epicard # Dark-red congested medulla and pale cortex (shock kidneys) # # |
4 Serogroup C | 3.0x107copies/mL (serum) 3800 EU/mL (serum) No spinal puncture was performed | 2 2 | FFPE FF | Skin Adrenal glands Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys Spleen Brain | Skin hemorrhages Hemorrhage Congestion Petechiae on epicard. Microabscess in myocard # Congested vessels in medulla and multiple fibrin thrombi in glomeruli # # |
5 Serogroup C | * * * | 6 6 | FFPE FF | Skin Adrenal glands Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys Spleen Brain | Skin hemorrhages Hemorrhage # # # # # # |
6 Serogroup B | 0.25 EU/mL (plasma) * | 28 | FFPE | Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys Spleen Brain | Edema # # # # Edema, herniation of cerebellum, pus in meninges |
7 Serogroup B | 1.1x105copies/mL (plasma) 2.1 EU/mL (plasma) 4000 EU/mL (CSF) | 28 | FFPE | Lungs Kidneys Brain | Edema # Edema, herniation of cerebellum, pus in meninges |