Vaccines based on outer membrane vesicles (OMV) were developed more than 20 years ago against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. These nano-sized structures exhibit remarkable potential for immunomodulation of immune responses and delivery of meningococcal antigens or unrelated antigens incorporated into the vesicle structure. This paper reviews different applications in OMV Research and Devel...

BACKGROUND Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia in children and young adults worldwide. The disease burden associated with N. meningitidis infections has not been systematically assessed in China. Therefore, we undertook this study to determine the burden of meningococcal disease in China. METHOD We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of...

The Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme has undertaken meningococcal isolate surveillance by means of a collaborative laboratory-based initiative since 1994. Serogroup data have been enhanced by the addition of serotype and serosubtype information in 1996. Ninety-two per cent of the 297 invasive isolates of Neisseria meningitidis examined in 1996 were serogroup B or C. Serogroup B s...

Serogroup C meningococcal conjugate vaccines generally use diphtheria or tetanus toxoids as the protein carriers. The use of alternative carrier proteins may allow multivalent conjugate vaccines to be formulated into a single injection and circumvent potential problems of immune suppression in primed individuals. Bordetella pertussis fimbriae were assessed as carrier proteins for Neisseria meni...

Two Australian isolates of Treponema hyodysenteriae which did not fit within the current serological grouping system for these bacteria were examined by agarose gel double immunodiffusion tests (AGDP). Isolate Vic1 was serologically unique, and we propose that it becomes the type organism for a new sixth serological group of T. hyodysenteriae (Group F). Isolate Q1 was unusual in that lipopolysa...

The increasing number of cases of serogroup C meningococcal disease in Scotland in the late 1990s coincided with the availability of a new meningococcal conjugate serogroup C (MCC) vaccine that, from 1999 onwards, was offered to all individuals aged <20 years. Annual incidence rates between 1994 and 2003 were calculated in 3 age groups (<5 years old; 5-19 years old; and >or=20 years old), and P...

Meningococcal disease remains a significant global public health issue and is unique among causes of bacterial meningitis and sepsis where not only does it cause sporadic disease but also outbreaks. The prevention of meningococcal disease also presents a serious challenge . Although polysaccharide vaccines have been available for serogroup A, C, Y, and W135 for many years, serogroup C polysacch...

Epidemics of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by meningococcal serogroup A have been eliminated from the sub-Saharan African so-called "meningitis belt" by the meningococcal A conjugate vaccine (MACV), and yet, other serogroups continue to cause epidemics. Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W remains a major cause of disease in the region, with most isolates belonging to clonal complex...

BACKGROUNDS Meningococcal disease remains a serious public health problem worldwide. In Catalonia, after implementing the vaccination program, there has been a significant decrease in cases caused by meningococcus C. METHODS Reported cases of meningococcal disease between 1997 and 2008 were analyzed to determine the evolution after the introduction of a conjugated vaccine in Catalonia. RESU...

BACKGROUND Before 2001, the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Canada was 1.0 per 100 000 per year, with 40% of cases caused by serogroup C organisms. During 2001-2005 all provinces introduced the meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine (MCCV) into their routine infant immunization schedule. METHODS Active, prospective, population-based surveillance of IMD in children an...