Clinical features of meningococcal infection in subjects with deficient terminal components of the complement

Aim. To evaluate clinical characteristics of meningococcal disease (MD) in individuals with terminal complement component deficiency (TCCD) who are th ousands times more susceptible to MD than complement-sufficient persons. Materials and methods. 61 cases of MD in TCCD patients and 200 randomly sel ected cases of MD in complement-sufficient patients were analyzed. Results. Meningitis without meningococcemia accounted for 17% of the MD epi sodes in the control group of complement-sufficient patients but none in in dividuals with TCCD who had meningococcemia (10%) or meningococcemia with m eningitis (90%). Moderate disease predominated in patients with TCCD (70%) and no episodes of fatal disease were noted, whereas severe disease was mor e common in the control group which had an 8% case fatality rate and freque nt complications such as endotoxic not differ between the first and subsequ ent episodes, between males and females, between episodes caused by serogro up A and B meningococci, etc. Conclusion. In comparison to complement-sufficient persons, the course of t he disease in patients with TCCD is statistically less severe.