Meningococcal Group Y Pneumonia in an Adolescent Female

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Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis group Y is an uncommon pathogen. Meningococcal group Y disease was reported with increased frequency in military training camps coincident with the routine use of meningococcal group C vaccine. Pneumonia produced by the group Y organism may mimic disease caused by common respiratory tract pathogens, and isolation by routine methods may be difficult. A 16 yr old asthmatic female developed lobar pneumonia secondary to N. meningitidis group Y while on alternate day steroids. Neither steroid therapy nor an isolated serum Ig[immunoglobulin]A deficiency in the presence of secretory IgA discovered after her recovery predisposed her to sinopulmonary disease. The true incidence of group Y disease is unknown. Awareness of its potential pathogenicity may have clinical significance with the availability of a group Y vaccine.

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