Meningococci
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
Meningococci
It is a heterotrophic gram-negative diplococcal bacterium best known for its role in meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia. N. meningitidis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality during childhood in industrialized countries and is responsible for epidemics in Africa and in Asia.
| Kingdom | Bacteria |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Proteobacteria |
| Class | Beta Proteobacteria |
| Order | Neisseriales |
| Family | Neisseriaceae |
| Genus | Neisseria |
| Species | N. meningitidis |
| Binomial | Neisseria meningitidis |
Contents |
[edit] Surface Characteristics
Its CPS(Capsular polysaccharide) is a homopolymer of α(2-->8) sialic acid.
[edit] Transmission
It can be spread by droplets coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by a carrier; many outbreaks of meningococcal infection occur in people living in close quarters (like schools, colleges, and military installations). It takes 1-10 days (most often 4 days or less) after exposure to show symptoms; patients are usually contagious until they have been treated for at least 24 hours.
[edit] Pathogenic Activity
Septicaemia caused by Neisseria meningitidis has received much less public attention than meningococcal meningitis even though septicaemia has been linked to infant deaths. Meningococcal septicaemia typically causes a purpuric rash that does not lose its color when pressed with a glass ("non-blanching") and does not cause the classical symptoms of meningitis.
[edit] Virulence
The Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is a component of the outer membrane of N. meningitidis which acts as an endotoxin which is responsible for fever, septic shock, hemorrhage due to the destructions of red blood cells. Other virulence factors include a polysaccharide capsule which prevents host phagocytosis and aids in evasion of the host immune response; and fimbriae which mediate attachment of the bacterium to the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx.
