Neisseria meningitidis
SPECIES OF BACTERIUM
Meningococcus; Meningococcal; Neisseria meningitis; Neisseria meningitides; N.meningitidis; N. meningitidis; Meningococci; Meningococ; Meningococcal infection; Meningococcal bacterium Neisseria meningitidis group A
Neisseria meningitidis, often referred to as meningococcus, is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia, a life-threatening sepsis. The bacterium is referred to as a coccus because it is round, and more specifically a diplococcus because of its tendency to form pairs.