Officials have determined the cause of death of the 19-year-old MSU sophomore who died suddenly on February 10th.
Ingham County Medical Examiner Dr. Joyce DeJong has determined that Carly Glynn died of meningococcal disease.
Officials were able to confirm this after obtaining a positive test result for neisseria meningitidis, the organism that causes meningococcal disease.
The rare but serious illness causes a systemic infection called meningococcemia, which has been confirmed in Glynn's case.
Officials orignally thought Glynn may have died due to meningitis, when meningococcal bacteria attack the brain.
Health officials identified 15 people who may have had close contact with Glynn. All received preventive medications.
There have been no new cases of the disease associated with this case. It is not something that can be spread through casual contact.
The bacteria are spread through intimate contact such as sharing water bottles or kissing.
Guidelines regarding vaccination against meningococcal disease are available here and guidelines for college students are available here. .
The vaccine is effective against 4 of the 5 strains of meningococcal bacteria that cause most illnesses, but it is not effective against the strain that caused Glynn's illness.
