Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of meningococcal isolates in Tunis-Tunisia: High diversity and impact on vaccination strategies

Neisseria meningitidis (The meningococcus, Men) is a Gram-negative bacterium that cause meningitis and/or septicaemia. The virulence of Men is linked to many bacterial factors but the major one is the capsule. Based on the structure and the expression of the capsule, meningococcal strains are classified into 12 serogroups but Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) is linked almost only to six of them: A, B, C, W, Y or X causing sporadic cases, small clusters or epidemics all over the world. However, the distribution of meningococcal serogroups varies in time and from country to another (Acevedo et al., 2019).
Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research