neisseria meningitidis
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Author(s):  
Sara Morselli ◽  
Valeria Gaspari ◽  
Alessia Cantiani ◽  
Melissa Salvo ◽  
Claudio Foschi ◽  
...  

We assessed the characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis pharyngeal carriage in a cohort of ‘men having sex with men’, including patients with pharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection. In the period 2017-2019, among all the oropharyngeal samples tested for gonorrhoea from MSM attending a STI Clinic in Bologna (Italy), we randomly selected 244 N. gonorrhoeae-positive samples and 403 negatives (n=647). Pharyngeal specimens were tested for N. meningitidis presence, by the detection of sodC gene. N. meningitidis-positive samples were further grouped by PCR tests for the major invasive genogroups (i.e., A, B, C, W, and Y). A molecular assay, targeting capsule transporter gene, was used to determine meningococcal capsular status. Overall, 75.8% (491/647) of samples tested positive for sodC gene, indicating a pharyngeal meningococcal carriage. Meningococcal colonisation was significantly more frequent in younger subjects (P=0.009), with no association with HIV infection. Non-groupable meningococci represented most of pharyngeal carriages (about 71%). The commonest N. meningitidis serogroup was B (23.6%), followed by C (2.1%), Y (1.8%) and W (1.1%). Meningococci were often characterized by the genetic potential of capsule production. Interestingly, a negative association between N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae was found: pharyngeal gonorrhoea was significantly more present in patients without meningococcal carriage (P=0.03). Although preliminary, our data added knowledge on the epidemiology of meningococcal carriage in MSM communities at high risk of gonococcal infections, gaining new insights into the interactions/dynamics between N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae.


2022 ◽  
pp. 2109213
Author(s):  
Cheng‐Yuan Dong ◽  
Qian‐Xiao Huang ◽  
Han Cheng ◽  
Di‐Wei Zheng ◽  
Sheng Hong ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
pp. 100953
Author(s):  
Alireza Fahimzad ◽  
Maryam Khatmi ◽  
Farideh Shiva ◽  
Seyed Erfan Mortazavi ◽  
Fariba Shirvani ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darielys Santana ◽  
Rocmira Perez Nicado ◽  
Yanet Climent ◽  
Laura Marta Marta Rodríguez Noda ◽  
Belinda Sánchez Ramírez ◽  
...  

SARS-CoV-2 infection is mediated by the interaction of the spike glycoprotein trimer via its receptor-binding domain (RBD) with the host’s cellular receptor. Vaccines seek to block this interaction by eliciting...


2022 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. S43-S48
Author(s):  
I. Yañez-Sánchez ◽  
B.C. Zamarripa-Pérez ◽  
F.J. Gálvez-Gastelum

Author(s):  
Natacha Dewarrat ◽  
Fabian Bovey ◽  
Julie Kaiser ◽  
Sabine Blum

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laiz do Carmo Souza ◽  
Thais Rocha de Assumpção ◽  
Kevilyn Maria Sarges Moreira ◽  
Ana Vitoria Tavares Cavalcante ◽  
Alexsander Medeiros Pantoja

Introdução: A meningite é uma infecção grave nas meninges causada principalmente por vírus ou bactérias, ou também por parasitas e fungos. Na inflamação por bactérias temos a meningite meningocócica que embora seja rara, é considerada uma das formas mais graves de meningite causada por bactérias, e de elevada incidência em pediatria. Em bebês e em crianças mais velhas essa infecção ocorre frequentemente pelo contato com secreções respiratórias contendo a bactéria causadora da meningite. No Brasil, o SUS faz a disponibilização de vacinas em sua rede, sendo a principal prevenção contra essa bactéria. Objetivo: Verificar a incidência da meningite meningocócica na pediatria e a importância da vacinação. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo em caráter de revisão integrativa, onde foram utilizados artigos científicos, que tiveram como fonte de pesquisa as bases de dados Pubmed, Scielo, LILACS e Cochrane. Os critérios de inclusão foram artigos do período de 2017 a 2021, relatando a ocorrência de meningite meningocócica em crianças. Os critérios de exclusão foram, artigos inferiores a 2017 e artigos que abordavam a meningite meningocócica sem incidência na pediatria. Resultado: Conforme as buscas, conclui-se que o agente etiológico da meningite meningocócica (MM) é uma bactéria Gram negativa, a Neisseria meningitidis, mais conhecida como meningococo. Sendo encontrado em cerca de 10% na mucosa da nasofaringe em crianças saudáveis e dispersada através de gotículas da saliva em portadores da doença ou por aqueles que são assintomáticos. É uma doença com um tratamento adequado e aproximadamente 10% dos indivíduos acometidos acabam vindo a óbito em países desenvolvidos, já em países em desenvolvimento essa porcentagem é ainda maior chegando a 50%. No Brasil, entre os que sobrevivem, a taxa fica em torno de 20%, alguns acabam desenvolvendo problemas cerebrais e nervosos como incapacidade intelectual, convulsões e perdas auditivas. Foram desenvolvidas 3 tipos de vacinas, a Meningocócica C, Meningocócica ACYW, Meningocócica B, que tem gerado resultados favoráveis e consequentemente diminuição da incidência da doença. Conclusão: Diante dos fatos, a vacinação continua sendo a melhor opção para a prevenção da meningite meningocócica, evitando o desenvolvimento da infecção bacteriana.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2192
Author(s):  
Subhadra Paudel ◽  
James Wachira ◽  
Pumtiwitt C. McCarthy

Heavy metal contamination of drinking water is a public health concern that requires the development of more efficient bioremediation techniques. Absorption technologies, including biosorption, provide opportunities for improvements to increase the diversity of target metal ions and overall binding capacity. Microorganisms are a key component in wastewater treatment plants, and they naturally bind metal ions through surface macromolecules but with limited capacity. The long-term goal of this work is to engineer capsule polymerases to synthesize molecules with novel functionalities. In previously published work, we showed that the Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W (NmW) galactose–sialic acid (Gal–NeuNAc) heteropolysaccharide binds lead ions effectively, thereby demonstrating the potential for its use in environmental decontamination applications. In this study, computational analysis of the NmW capsule polymerase galactosyltransferase (GT) domain was used to gain insight into how the enzyme could be modified to enable the synthesis of N-acetylgalactosamine–sialic acid (GalNAc–NeuNAc) heteropolysaccharide. Various computational approaches, including molecular modeling with I-TASSER and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with NAMD, were utilized to identify key amino acid residues in the substrate binding pocket of the GT domain that may be key to conferring UDP-GalNAc specificity. Through these combined strategies and using BshA, a UDP-GlcNAc transferase, as a structural template, several NmW active site residues were identified as mutational targets to accommodate the proposed N-acetyl group in UDP-GalNAc. Thus, a rational approach for potentially conferring new properties to bacterial capsular polysaccharides is demonstrated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Herold ◽  
René Scholtysik ◽  
Selina Moroniak ◽  
Christel Weiss ◽  
Hiroshi Ishikawa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) can cause meningitis in humans, but the host signalling pathways manipulated by Nm during central nervous system (CNS) entry are not completely understood. Methods We investigate the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) Erk1/2 and p38 in an in vitro model of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) based on human epithelial choroid plexus (CP) papilloma (HIBCPP) cells during infection with Nm serogroup B (NmB) and serogroup C (NmC) strains. A transcriptome analysis of HIBCPP cells following infection with Nm by massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE) was done to further characterize the cellular response to infection of the barrier. Results Interestingly, whereas NmB and NmC wild type strains required active Erk1/2 and p38 pathways for infection, invasion by capsule-deficient mutants was independent of Erk1/2 and, in case of the NmB strain, of p38 activity. The transcriptome analysis of HIBCPP cells following infection with Nm demonstrated specific regulation of genes involved in the immune response dependent on Erk1/2 signalling. Gene ontology (GO) analysis confirmed loss of MAPK signalling after Erk1/2 inhibition and revealed an additional reduction of cellular responses including NFκB and JAK-STAT signalling. Interestingly, GO terms related to TNF signalling and production of IL6 were lost specifically following Erk1/2 inhibition during infection with wild type Nm, which correlated with the reduced infection rates by the wild type in absence of Erk1/2 signalling. Conclusion Our data point towards a role of MAPK signalling during infection of the CP epithelium by Nm, which is strongly influenced by capsule expression, and affects infection rates as well as the host cell response.


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