Disseminated Meningococcal Disease Complicated with Cardiac Tamponade in a 2-month-old Infant

Neisseria meningitidis is a rare and significant bacterial infection that can lead to severe morbidity and mortality if not promptly diagnosed and treated. While disseminated meningococcal infections often result in a high mortality rate due to sepsis, septic shock, and multi-organ failure, they can also cause other life-threatening complications, albeit rarely, such as pericarditis. This article presents a case study of reactive pericarditis following disseminated meningococcal infection. The patient underwent an echocardiogram due to suspicion of cardiac tamponade, which revealed the presence of pericardial effusion. Microbiology and pathology laboratories evaluated the effusion sample obtained through pericardiocentesis, leading to the diagnosis of reactive pericarditis. This case is quite remarkable in the literature due to its unique aspects, including the patient being the youngest reported case of meningitidis infection and the development of reactive pericarditis caused by the B serotype within a shorter timeframe than typically expected.