Back نيسرية سحائية Arabic نيسريه سحائيه ARZ Neissèria de la meningitis Catalan Neisseria meningitidis Czech Meningokokken German Ναϊσσέρια της μηνιγγίτιδας Greek Meningicòc EML Neisseria meningitidis Spanish Meningokokk Estonian Neisseria meningitidis Basque
| 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.