THE USEFULNESS OF SKIN CULTURE IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CHRONIC MENINGOCOCCEMIA

Texereau M, Roblot P, Dumars A, Grignon B, Becq-Giraudon B (Hopital la Miletrie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Poitiers, Cedext France). The usefulness of skin culture in the diagnosis of chronic meningococ caemia (Case Report). J Intern Med 1997; 242: 519-520. We deal with th e second reported case of chronic meningococcaemia in which the cultur e of skin biopsy led to the diagnosis. A 46-year-old man presented a h istory of recurrent fever and rash. Laboratory studies revealed an inf lammatory syndrome. Serologic tests as well as blood culture tests wer e negative. The histological examination of skin lesions revealed a pe rivascular infiltrate in the dermis without any picture of leukocytocl astic vasculitis. A culture of skin specimen tested positive for Neiss eria meningitidis (N. meningitidis). After a week of antibiotic treatm ent, the patient recovered with no recurrence of either fever or rash over a two year period.