| Neisseria meningitidis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scanning electron micrograph of a single N. meningitidis cell (colorized in blue) with its adhesive pili (colorized in yellow). The scale bar corresponds to 1 µm. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Betaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Neisseriales |
| Family: | Neisseriaceae |
| Genus: | Neisseria |
| Species: | N. meningitidis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Neisseria meningitidis Albrecht & Ghon 1901
| |
Neisseria meningitidis, often referred to as the 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.
About 10% of adults are carriers of the bacteria in their nasopharynx.[1] As an exclusively human pathogen, it causes developmental impairment and death in about 10% of cases. It causes the only form of bacterial meningitis known to occur epidemically, mainly in Africa and Asia. It occurs worldwide in both epidemic and endemic form.[2]
N. meningitidis is spread through saliva and respiratory secretions during coughing, sneezing, kissing, chewing on toys and through sharing a source of fresh water. It has also been reported to be transmitted through oral sex and cause urethritis in men.[3] It infects its host cells by sticking to them with long thin extensions called pili and the surface-exposed proteins Opa and Opc and has several virulence factors.
- ^ Hitchcock PJ, Robinson Jr EN, McGee ZA, Koomey JM (1993). "Neisseriae: Gonococcus and Meningococcus". In Schaechter M, Medoff G, Eisenstein BI (eds.). Mechanisms of Microbial Disease (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. p. 231. ISBN 9780683076066.
- ^ "Meningococcal Disease in Other Countries". National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Meningococcal Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30.
- ^ Bazan JA, Peterson AS, Kirkcaldy RD, Briere EC, Maierhofer C, Turner AN, et al. (June 2016). "Notes from the Field: Increase in Neisseria meningitidis-Associated Urethritis Among Men at Two Sentinel Clinics - Columbus, Ohio, and Oakland County, Michigan, 2015". MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 65 (21). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 550–552. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6521a5. PMC 5390329. PMID 27254649.