Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
meningococcus. The bacteremic form of the disease is known as menin-
gococcemia. Neisseria meningitidis accounts for about 3000 cases of
meningitis in the USA annually. The organism is only found in humans;
hence, all infections are thought to be due to human-to-human transmission.
Most cases occur in children. The organism is found in a significant percentage
of healthy adults (about 10%). Other bacteria cause meningitis in children, includ-
ing Hemophilus influenzae (Gamma Proteobacteria, Chapter 7) and Streptococcus
pneumoniae (Class Bacilli, Chapter 12); but Neisseria meningitidis is the only
bacterial organism known to produce epidemics of the disease.
Kingella kingae causes a variety of infectious diseases in children. The
organism is commonly found in the throats of children. Diseases include
septic arthritis and osteomyelitis. Bacteremia can lead to endocarditis, and
Kingella kingae is included in the HACEK group of endocarditis-producing
organisms (see Glossary item, HACEK).
Infectious species:
Alcaligenes species (corneal keratitis)
Bordetella bronchiseptica (bronchitis)
Bordetella parapertussis (pertussis, also called whooping cough)
Bordetella pertussis (pertussis, also called whooping cough)
Burkholderia cepacia complex (pneumonia in immune-deficient individuals
with concurrent lung disease)
Burkholderia mallei, formerly Pseudomonas mallei (glanders)
Burkholderia
pseudomallei,
formerly
Pseudomonas
pseudomallei
(melioidosis)
Eikenella corrodens, previously Bacteroides corrodens (bite bacteremia,
HACEK endocarditis)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea)
Neisseria meningitidis (meningitis)
Kingella kingae (childhood septic arthritis, childhood osteomyelitis,
childhood spondylodiscitis, childhood bacteremia, childhood endocardi-
tis, childhood pneumonia, childhood meningitis, HACEK endocarditis)
