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World J Clin Infect Dis. May 25, 2015; 5(2): 37-43
Published online May 25, 2015. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.v5.i2.37
Surface adhesion and host response as pathogenicity factors of Neisseria meningitidis
Jose Uberos, M Molina-Oya, S Martinez-Serrano, L Fernández-López
Jose Uberos, M Molina-Oya, S Martinez-Serrano, L Fernández-López, Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Jose Uberos, Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Avda. de Madrid s/n, 18012 Granada, Spain. joseuberos@telefonica.net
Telephone: +34-95-8243066
Received: July 3, 2014
Peer-review started: July 3, 2014
First decision: July 21, 2014
Revised: January 26, 2015
Accepted: March 5, 2015
Article in press: March 9, 2015
Published online: May 25, 2015
Abstract

Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) is an exclusively human pathogen that has been identified in 10%-35% of the adult population and in 5.9% of the child population. Despite the high prevalence of carriers of N. meningitidis, it only occasionally causes meningococcal disease in the context of endemic disease, in certain geographic areas or in isolated epidemic outbreaks. After the N. meningitidis genome is described, progress has been made toward understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of the bacteria, although some aspects concerning its interaction with the environment and the host remain unclear. Some studies have reported that oxidative stress in the environment can modify the surface characteristics of N. meningitidis, increasing its adhesive properties and favouring an asymptomatic carrier state. The antigenic structure of N. meningitidis can be modified by its importing genetic material from other bacteria in its ecological niche. Some structures of lipopolysaccharides help it to evade the immune response, and these are observed more frequently in N. meningitidis isolated from blood than in healthy nasopharyngeal carriers. There is evidence that pili and capsule are downregulated upon contact with target cells. This paper reviews current knowledge on host-environment-bacteria mechanisms and interactions, with the aim of contributing to our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of N. meningitidis.

Keywords: Bacterial adhesion, Neisseria meningitidis, Virulence

Core tip: After the Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) genome is described, progress has been made toward understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of the bacteria, although some aspects concerning its interaction with the environment and the host remain unclear. This paper reviews current knowledge on host-environment-bacteria mechanisms and interactions, with the aim of contributing to our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of N. meningitidis.