Neisseria meningitidis News and Research

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Scientists identify key groups of bacteria responsible for majority of meningococcal cases in England, Wales

Scientists at Oxford University have identified the key groups of bacteria responsible for the majority of meningococcal disease cases in England and Wales over the past 20 years.

29 Oct 2015

FDA permits marketing of first CSF nucleic acid-based test for detection of multiple pathogens

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) nucleic acid-based test for simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens that can cause central nervous system infections.

12 Oct 2015

Shortage of meningitis C-containing vaccine threatens to limit disease control in Africa

With Africa at risk of a large meningitis outbreak, an acute shortage of meningitis C-containing vaccine threatens to severely limit the world's ability to minimize the number of people affected, four international public health organizations warned today.

29 Jul 2015

GSK welcomes U.S. CDC's vote on use of meningococcal group B vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for a Category B recommendation for meningococcal group B vaccination, including BEXSERO (Meningococcal Group B Vaccine), in individuals aged 16 to 23 (with a preferred age of 16-18).

25 Jun 2015

Study suggests new approach to help prevent meningococcal outbreaks

Nasal drops of harmless bacteria can inhibit a related bug that sometimes causes meningococcal disease, according to new findings published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study--conducted among college students, a group at higher risk for this often serious illness--suggests a new approach that could help suppress outbreaks of the disease, if supported by future research.

30 Mar 2015

Scientists shed new light on how LAMR1 and Gal-3 proteins can cause meningitis, septicaemia

Previously undiscovered secrets of how human cells interact with a bacterium which causes a serious human disease have been revealed in new research by microbiologists at The University of Nottingham.

5 Oct 2014

FDA approves use of Menactra for booster vaccination against meningococcal disease

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved use of Menactra® [Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y and W-135) Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine] for booster vaccination against meningococcal disease in persons 15 years through 55 years of age.

9 Sep 2014

Prevalence of bacterial meningitis drops in the United States

Advances in the prevention and treatment of an often fatal condition called bacterial meningitis appear to be paying dividends in the United States, report infectious disease experts at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

13 Aug 2014

Scientists shed new light on why teenagers are susceptible to meningitis and septicaemia

University of York scientists have shed new light on why teenagers and young adults are particularly susceptible to meningitis and septicaemia.

4 Aug 2014

Researchers explain how meningitis-causing bacteria evade body's immune system

Every once in a while in the U.S., bacterial meningitis seems to crop up out of nowhere, claiming a young life.

29 May 2014

Pfizer reports positive results from rLP2086 Phase 2 study for invasive meningococcal disease

Pfizer Inc. announced today the results from two Phase 2 studies of bivalent rLP2086, Pfizer's recombinant vaccine candidate, currently under development for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in 10 to 25 year olds.

12 May 2014

Low dose injections of artificial properdin provides protection against septic diseases in mice

Breakthrough MRC-funded study from University of Leicester shows low dose injections of artificial properdin provides substantial protection against septic diseases in mice

26 Mar 2014

Low dose injections of artificial properdin provide protection against septic diseases

Researchers at the University of Leicester have produced an artificial version of a naturally occurring protein, properdin, which has been found to successfully combat bacterial pneumonia and meningitis when tested in mice.

25 Mar 2014

Scientists establish a goal of creating vaccine gene chip to speed up vaccine testing

Testing the efficacy of vaccines in clinical trials takes years, even decades. Yet challenging infections like HIV, malaria and dengue are striking today. To speed up vaccine testing, scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center have established a goal of creating a "vaccine gene chip."

17 Dec 2013

Researchers create an efficient technique to target and repair defective genes

Using human pluripotent stem cells and DNA-cutting protein from meningitis bacteria, researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research and Northwestern University have created an efficient way to target and repair defective genes.

13 Aug 2013

Researchers discover role of TonB bacterial protein that causes various diseases

A Kansas State University-led study has discovered the role of a protein in bacteria that cause a wide variety of diseases, including typhoid fever, plague, meningitis and dysentery. The results may lead to new and improved antibiotics for humans and animals.

2 Jul 2013

Common sugar molecule promising target for development of broad-spectrum vaccine

Developing new vaccines to protect against diseases that plague humans is fraught with numerous challenges-one being that microbes tend to vary how they look on the surface to avoid being identified and destroyed by the immune system. However, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered a sugar polymer that is common on the cell surface of several pathogens.

28 May 2013