meningococcal meningitis

The rebound of invasive meningococcal disease cases in France since the fall of 2022 was accompanied by an increase in adult epiglottitis. These cases were provoked mainly by isolates of serogroup W belonging to the clonal complex 11 of Neisseria meningitidis. Awareness and surveillance should be reinforced.

The meningococcal meningitis (MM) vaccine reduces the incidence of MM significantly; however, outbreaks still occur in communities with high vaccine coverage. We aimed to analyze the driving factors of infection from a community outbreak. A total of 266 children aged 9 to 15 years old from the three junior high schools of Tongzi county were identified. We documented infection cases using laboratory tests and analyzed attack rates, infection rates and risk factors for transmission. The index case in School A was identified, and the attack rate in School A was 0...

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a huge impact on different aspects of public health. Mandatory notifications are a fundamental tool to have a general picture of infection disease spread in a population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on infectious disease epidemiology. METHODS: We collected and analyzed all the infectious disease notifications made in the pre-pandemic (2017-2019) and the pandemic (2020-2022) three-years periods in the provincial territory of Messina, Italy...

BACKGROUND: In France, vaccination has been implemented against Hi serotype b (Hib), pneumococcus with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV), and Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC). These interventions with different coverage and uptake have disrupted the epidemiology of vaccine-preventable acute bacterial meningitis (ABM). METHODS: We analyzed data from a French prospective surveillance network of ABM in children ≤15 years old enrolled by 259 pediatric wards (estimated national coverage: 61%)...

BACKGROUND: Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is the cause of epidemic meningitis and fulminant meningococcal septicemia. The clinical presentations and outcome of meningococcal septic shock is closely related to the circulating levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and of Neisseria meningitidis DNA (Nm DNA). We have previously explored the distribution of Nm DNA in tissues from large organs of patients dying of meningococcal septic shock and in a porcine meningococcal septic shock model. OBJECTIVE: 1) To explore the feasibility of measuring LPS levels in tissues from the large organs in patients with meningococcal septic shock and in a porcine meningococcal septic shock model...

Protein phosphorylation is an integral part of many cellular processes, not only in eukaryotes but also in bacteria. The discovery of both prokaryotic protein kinases and phosphatases has created interest in generating antibacterial therapeutics that target these enzymes. NMA1982 is a putative phosphatase from Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of meningitis and meningococcal septicemia. The overall fold of NMA1982 closely resembles that of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). However, the hallmark C(X)5 R PTP signature motif, containing the catalytic cysteine and invariant arginine, is shorter by one amino acid in NMA1982...

In healthy people, Neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus) is a typical component of the nasopharyngeal microbiome, but in those who are susceptible, it can cause septicemia and meningitis. This section gives a general overview of the meningococcus types and the sickness induced by N. meningitidis.  Evaluate genes for phase-changeable adhesions, virulence factors, and effective colonization of the human host. In our final section, we summarize the evolution of meningococcal vaccines and their current state while emphasizing the value of ongoing molecular research into the pathogen's epidemiology and structural analysis of its antigens...

The global invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) landscape changed considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by decreased incidence rates due to COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as limited social contact, physical distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing. Vaccination rates were also lower during the pandemic relative to pre-pandemic levels. Although policymakers may have shifted their focus away from IMD vaccination programs to COVID-19 vaccination programs, strong arguments support implementation and prioritization of IMD vaccination programs; IMD cases have increased in some countries and IMD rates may even have exceeded pre-pandemic levels...

OBJECTIVE: Meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccination is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for adolescents and young adults 16-23-years-old under shared clinical decision-making (SCDM). However, MenB vaccination coverage in this population remains low in the United States (US). We investigated the awareness, attitudes, and practices regarding MenB disease and vaccination among parents of 16-18-year-old older adolescents and among 19-23-year-old young adults...

INTRODUCTION: The main preventive measure against invasive meningococcal disease is vaccination. The aim of our study was to evaluate the acceptability of the meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine and socioeconomic inequalities in the access to the vaccine in the Community of Madrid in the period prior to its introduction in the immunization schedule. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational and ecological descriptive study in the cohort of children born between 2016 and 2019 using population-based electronic records...

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is rare in travellers but associated with high mortality and long-term sequelae. Six serogroups (MenABCWXY) account for more than 90% of IMD. Three pentavalent vaccines are on the horizon: two MenABCWY, both with a 0-6 months schedule highly immunogenic and well tolerated, and one single-dose MenACWXY.

INTRODUCTION: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), caused by Neisseria meningitidis, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of the current study was to describe the historical and recent epidemiology of IMD in Colombia. METHODS: This retrospective surveillance database analysis examined all available data on IMD in Colombia. Data were extracted from publicly available disease event reports and laboratory surveillance reports or obtained directly from hospitals in Cartagena...

Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome and central diabetes insipidus are uncommon but potentially fatal endocrine and metabolic diseases. Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome is defined as adrenal insufficiency caused by adrenal hemorrhage, which is typically bilateral and most frequently due to meningococcal infection. It is usually diagnosed by necropsy. Central diabetes insipidus in children is often caused by trauma, intracranial lesions, autoimmune diseases, and infections. In addition, it can be caused by mutations in the AVP-NPII gene, although this occurs typically later in childhood rather than in the neonatal period...

INTRODUCTION: Neisseria meningitidis is a significant cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia worldwide. Recurrent Neisseria meningitidis is frequently associated with terminal complement protein deficiency, including Complement component 7. This report discusses the first case of C7 deficiency in Qatar. CASE REPORT: A 30-year-old Qatari man presented with a meningococcal infection, which was verified by a blood culture. He experienced two episodes of meningitis caused by an undetermined organism...

Neisseria meningitidis causes invasive meningococcal diseases and has also been identified as a causative agent of sexually transmitted infections, including urethritis. Unencapsulated sequence type 11 meningococci containing the gonococcal aniA-norB locus and belonging to the United States N. meningitidis urethritis clade (US_NmUC) are causative agents of urethral infections in the United States, predominantly among men who have sex with men. We identified 2 subtypes of unencapsulated sequence type 11 meningococci in Japan that were phylogenetically close to US_NmUC, designated as the Japan N...

Neisseria meningitidis can be a human commensal in the upper respiratory tract but is also capable of causing invasive diseases such as meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia. No specific genetic markers have been detected to distinguish carriage from disease isolates. The aim here was to find genetic traits that could be linked to phenotypic outcomes associated with carriage versus invasive N. meningitidis disease through a bacterial genome-wide association study (GWAS). In this study, invasive N. meningitidis isolates collected in Sweden ( n =103) and carriage isolates collected at Örebro University, Sweden ( n =213) 2018-2019 were analysed...

This review details recent findings from the Global Meningococcal Initiative's (GMI) recent meeting on the surveillance and control strategies for invasive meningococcal disease in the Middle East. The nature of case reporting and notification varies across the region, with many countries using bacterial meningitis as an IMD case definition in lieu of meningitis and septicemia. This may overlook a significant burden associated with IMD leading to underreporting or misreporting of the disease. Based on these current definitions, IMD reported incidence remains low across the region, with historical outbreaks mainly occurring due to the Hajj and Umrah mass gatherings...

Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhoea and is on the WHO critical list due to increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The bacterium can carry a conjugative plasmid, pConj, which prevents the use of tetracycline or doxycycline for treating gonorrhea, and is responsible for spread of a β-lactamase plasmid, p bla ; over 90% of gonococcal isolates also harbor a small cryptic plasmid, pCryp. We systematically analyzed the presence of these plasmids in other Neisseria spp...

OBJECTIVE: Few data outside of individual case reports are available on nonmeningococcal, non-gonococcal species of Neisseria as causative agents of invasive disease. This review collates disease, organism and patient information from case reports on the topic. METHODS: A literature search was performed examining articles describing disease caused by non-meningococcal, non-gonococcal Neisseria. FINDINGS: Neisseria present as opportunistic pathogens causing a wide variety of diseases including serious presentations, endocarditis being the most common condition described and N...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the community pharmacists' (CPs) knowledge, attitude, and perception of health-related illness among pilgrims, and to investigate the common diseases and the pattern of medications dispensed by CPs during Hajj and Umrah seasons. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over two months in 2022, through electronic platform using prevalidated questionnaires adopted from the literature. The questionnaires were divided into 4 sections assessing the CP's knowledge, attitude, and perception about health-related illness, common dispensed agents, and required vaccination during Hajj and Umrah...