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Interactions between Neisseria meningitidis and human cells that promote colonisation and disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2004

Anne Corbett ,
Rachel Exley ,
Sandrine Bourdoulous  and
Christoph M. Tang
Anne Corbett
Affiliation:
The Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Infectious Diseases, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Rachel Exley
Affiliation:
The Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Infectious Diseases, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Sandrine Bourdoulous
Affiliation:
Institut Cochin, Département de Biologie Cellulaire, 22 Rue Méchain, 75014 Paris, France.
Christoph M. Tang
Affiliation:
The Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Infectious Diseases, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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Abstract

Neisseria meningitidis is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis, a potentially fatal condition that particularly affects children. Multiple steps are involved during the pathogenesis of infection, including the colonisation of healthy individuals and invasion of the bacterium into the cerebrospinal fluid. The bacterium is capable of adhering to, and entering into, a range of human cell types, which facilitates its ability to cause disease. This article summarises the molecular basis of host–pathogen interactions at the cellular level during meningococcal carriage and disease.

Keywords

Neisseria meningitidistype four pilusmeningitiscolonisationcellular microbiologypathogenesis
Type
Review Article
Information
Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine , Volume 6 , Issue 14 , 9 July 2004 , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2004

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