Serogroup b Meningococcus
Emily Baker
Meningococcus
A bacterium that causes meningitis that is popping up in dorm rooms.
Symptoms
-severe headache -fever -stiff neck -vomiting -seizures
-confusion -sluggishness -rash -eye sensitivity
First described by Gaspard Vieusseux in Switzerland (1805)
Anton Weichselbaum proved Neisseria meningitidis causes meningitis.
Prevention
-vaccines
-avoid close contact (kissing, sharing drinks, etc.)
Treatment
Antibiotics, fluids, and oxygen therapy
Person to Person
Spread through close contact
Other
-Bacterial and virus forms of this disease exist.
-Emerging in dorm rooms.
-Original virus only vaccinated against certain serogroups of the virus. However, the form that recently infested dorm rooms was the serogroup b, one form of the virus that was not protected by the vaccine.
Colleges Infected
-Princeton
-Ohio University