Elsevier

Thrombosis Research

Volume 55, Issue 4, 15 August 1989, Pages 459-470
Thrombosis Research

Paper
The quantitative association of plasma endotoxin, antithrombin, protein C, extrinsic pathway inhibitor and fibrinopeptide a in systemic meningococcal disease

https://doi.org/10.1016/0049-3848(89)90054-6Get rights and content

Abstract

We have evaluated the quantitative relationship between lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin), fibrinopeptide A (FPA), antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC) and extrinsic pathway inhibitor (EPI) in plasma from 39 consecutively admitted patients with systemic meningococcal disease (SMD). The most severely ill patients with fulminant meningococcal septicemia (n=13, 6 dead) had significantly (p<0.01) higher plasma levels of LPS and FPA and lower levels of PC and AT on admission as compared with the less severe clinical presentations (n=26, 1 dead). The levels of EPI on admission were significantly (p<0.05) higher in nonsurvivors vs survivors with fulminant septicemia. As the disease progressed, the levels of LPS, FPA, AT and PC declined, while the levels of EPI increased. Three of six nonsurviving septicemic patients had levels of EPI >200% within 16 hours of admission vs two of 30 survivors (p=0.02). The results suggest that increasing levels of LPS in SMD elicit increasing consumption coagulopathy, contributing to the organ pathophysiology. The kinetics of EPI, inhibiting the thromboplastin-FVIIa-FXa complex, differs markedly from the kinetics of AT and PC i.e. increases as opposed to decreases.

References (33)

  • E. Marciniak et al.

    Neonatal purpura fulminans: a genetic disorder related to the absence of protein C in blood

    Blood

    (1985)
  • L.F. Engebretsen et al.

    Extreme plasminogen activator inhibitor and endotoxin values in patients with meningococcal disease

    Thromb. Res.

    (1986)
  • W.G. McGehee et al.

    Intravascular coagulation in fulminant meningococcemia

    Annal Int. Med.

    (1967)
  • H. Vik-Mo et al.

    Disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with meningococcal infection: laboratory diagnosis and prognostic factors

    Scand J. Infect. Dis.

    (1978)
  • B. Østerud et al.

    Increased tissue thromboplastin activity in monocytes of patients with meningococcal infection: related to an unfavourable prognosis

    Thromb. Haemostas.

    (1983)
  • D.C. Morrison et al.

    The effects of bacterial endotoxins on host mediation systems

    Am. J. Pathol.

    (1978)
  • Cited by (148)

    • Symmetrical peripheral gangrene in critical illness

      2021, Transfusion and Apheresis Science
    • The UK joint specialist societies guideline on the diagnosis and management of acute meningitis and meningococcal sepsis in immunocompetent adults

      2016, Journal of Infection
      Citation Excerpt :

      Meningococcal sepsis is frequently associated with a procoagulant state, with the attendant risk of the development of microthrombi within the peripheral circulation. Over the last few decades it has been shown that these patients are often deficient in protein C, protein S, and antithrombin III,199–201 have a defective endothelial protein C activation pathway202 and have both low and dysfunctional platelets.203–205 Patients with bleeding and overt DIC (indicated by low platelets, low fibrinogen and elevated clotting times) should be treated according to established management guidelines.206

    • Neisseria meningitidis

      2014, Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases
    • Microparticle-associated tissue factor activity correlates with plasma levels of bacterial lipopolysaccharides in meningococcal septic shock

      2014, Thrombosis Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      The majority of the samples (21/23) were collected between 1985 and 1990. Plasma was prepared from citrated whole blood (0.129 M citrate, Vacutainer®, Becton and Dickinson, Maylan Cedex, France), immediately centrifuged at 1,400 g, 10 min, aliquoted and stored frozen at − 70 °C [19]. LPS was measured in plasma from heparinized (15 U/mL blood) vacuum tubes (Becton and Dickinson, Maylan Cedex, France) or from EndoTube ET (30 U/mL blood, Chromogenix (CoaChrom Diagnostica GmbH, Vienna, Austria)), using a chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate assay as previously described.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text