[Morphology of recent meningococcal infections in children].

An analysis of 108 cases of children's death which occurred in 1981-1991 from hypertoxic meningococcal infection (MI) in St. Petersburg is presented. Serogroup B meningococcus as a causative agent was found in 44% of the cases. The role in the thanatogenesis of inflammatory and immune reactions, viral-bacterial associations was shown on the basis of detailed study of 47 cases. Hemorrhagic adrenal necrosis was diagnosed in 94.7% of the cases. Two clinicomorphological variants of the disease are distinguished: 1) variant with a moderate hemorrhagic eruption without pronounced kidney lesion, 2) variant with an abundant confluent rash and pronounced kidney lesions and choroid plexus immune lesions.