Summary of demographic and clinical data of the children included in the study (n = 358/398).

& Isolation of Neisseria meningitidis from a normally sterile site; OR detection of specific meningococcal DNA sequences in a specimen from a normally sterile site by nucleic acid amplification testing. The rest of subjects fulfilled suggestive criteria (detection of Gram-negative diplococci in Gram's stain of specimen from a normally sterile site or from suspicious skin lesion; or high titre immunoglobulin class M (IgM) or significant rise in IgM or immunoglobulin class G (IgG) titres to outer membrane protein antigens of N. meningitides. # B serogroup accounted for 91.6% of all serogrouped samples. *Detected anytime during the illness and defined according to Goldstein et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med 2005;6:2–8. DIC disseminated intravascular coagulation. Results are expressed as mean (sd) unless otherwise specified.