Control of meningococcal disease.

Control of meningococcal disease.

Meningococcal disease: public health burden and control.

Meningococcal disease which is increasing globally is still associated with a high mortality and persistent neurological defects, particularly among infants and young children. Sporadic meningococcal meningitis occurs throughout the world, with seasonal variations, and accounts for 10-40% of endemic bacterial meningitis. Epidemic meningitis occurs in any part of the world but the largest and mo...

Control of meningococcal meningitis with meningococcal vaccines.

The development of effective meinigococcal vaccines was based upon the finding that immunity to the meningococcus was directly correlated with serum bactericidal antibodies. Purified high molecular weight capsular polysaccharides of serogroups A and C meningococci stimulated the production of humoral antibodies which had group specific bactericidal activity. In controlled field trials in Army...

Meningococcal Disease

Meningococcal disease is one of the great bacterial threats to human health. Even in the age of antibiotics and vaccines, it remains one of the primary causes of bacterial meningitis worldwide. The causative agent, Neisseria meningitidis, is a gram negative, fastidious diplococcic that commensally inhabits the human nasopharynx. Transmission occurs through close contact with aerosol and respira...

Meningococcal Disease.

What is meningococcal disease? Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The bacteria are transmitted from person to person through nasopharyngeal secretions. Close and prolonged contact is usually required for transmission. Most people carry the bacteria asymptomatically in the nose and throat. Disease occurs very rarely when bacteria invade the bloodstream. Meni...