Example Of Neisseria Meningitides Essay

Neisseria meningitides has a round shape, therefore it’s called coccus, which under microscope has kidney bean shape, and due to the fact that most of the time it joins to form pairs, it’s called Diplococcus. In the structure of this bacterium, we can see three layers, an outer and an inner membrane, and between them a peptidoglycan layer, therefore, this is a gram-negative bacteria. Neisseria meningitides is also a non-endospore species and though its piliated, it is non-motile. It is non-acid fast, and encapsulated. Transmission of the Neisseria meningitides is often person to person and by sneeze. After infection, the bacteria takes place on the inner mucosa of the nose, and respiratory tract in general. Later it causes deeper infection and reaches the blood stream. Thus, the infection reaches the brain and causes infection in the meninges. N. meningitides is evasive to the immune system, due to the production of an anti-phagocytic capsular polysaccharide, its pilus coding genes are highly variable, and the amount of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produced is high, specifically during the phase of exponential growth. Therefore, children, or the people who are immunosuppressed are at a higher mortality risk, as they have a weaker immune system. In general, 5-15% of the healthy adults have N. meningitides as a part of their normal nonpathogenic flora in their nasopharynx. However, as it causes infection it becomes highly contagious and can cause infection in other healthy people. In order to prevent the person must make sure not to have contact with an infected person, and in case of contact must receive medication to prevent placement of infection, in such cases rifampicin is usually prescribed. The treatment course takes 3to 7 days, and IV or IM antibiotics, such as Ceftriaxone or Penicillin are usually used.

Works Cited

"Institutional Links." Neisseria Meningitidis. 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/neisseria-men-eng.php#footnote1>.
"Neisseria Meningitidis." - MicrobeWiki. 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Neisseria_meningitidis#Higher_Order_Tax>.