Meningococcal pericarditis in a 2-year-old child: reactive or infectious?

Pericarditis is an uncommon manifestation of infection of Neisseria meningitidis. Pericarditis may be caused by direct invasion or immune-complex-mediated (reactive) inflammation. We outline the case of a two-year-old girl with probable reactive pericarditis, review the cases reported in the English literature since 1966 and discuss the pathogenesis of meningococcal pericarditis.