Laboratory confirmation requires at least one of the following:

• isolation of Neisseria meningitidis bacteria or detection of Neisseria meningitidis nucleic acid from blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or other normally sterile site (for example, pericardial or synovial fluid)
• detection of gram-negative intracellular diplococci in blood or CSF or skin petechiae
• detection of meningococcal antigen (latex agglutination test) in CSF.