Neisseria Family of Bacteria

WB01626_.gif (272 bytes)For all you that what to know a little bit more about Neisseria...

External and Internal Features Pathology
  • They are all non-motile
  • Gram-negative (type of classification)
  • No entertoxins formed
  • Not haemolytic
  • Displays Pili
  • The chromosome of N. gonorrhea is a singular, circular DNA molecule with a molecular weight of at least 9.8 x 10(8).  Some carry even more plasmids
  
  • Both N. gonorrhea and N. menigititis produce a highly specific enzyme, a protease which splits human IgA and IgA1 subclass
  • Cannot survive outside of the human body
  • There are no vaccines to prevent gonorrhea
  • There are some vaccines available against certain subgroups of N. menigititis

 

N. meningititis

WB01626_.gif (272 bytes)Understanding N. meningitidis...

  • In family, Neisseria
  • One cause of meningitis (inflammation of the the meninges of the brain and spinal cord)
  • Other bacteria that cause meningitis: Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli
  • Occurs most often in children aged 6 to 11 months, but can also occur in older children and in adults
  • If left untreated, is rapidly fatal (untreated meningitis has a mortality rate of near 50%)
  • Early intervention with antibiotics is highly effective

Gonorrhea

WB01626_.gif (272 bytes)The nasty on the bacterium that causes the STD... (Click Here to learn more)

  • Second leading cause of sexually-transmitted disease in the U.S.
  • Transmission requires direct sexual contact
  • Causes over 3,000,000 cases of gonorrhea annually
  • Causes infection of the epithelial cells of mucosal surfaces of the urethra, cervix, rectum, and the eye
  • Untreated gonorrhea can lead to disseminated infections, including bacteraemic spread, infertility in both males and females, persistent infection and inflammation, and acute infection of the joints.

 

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