Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Pediatr 2022 May;244:250-254

Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022 22;12:862935. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.

is a gram-negative diplococcus and a transient commensal of the human nasopharynx. It shares and competes for this niche with a number of other species including and . Unlike these other members of the genus, may become invasive, crossing the epithelium of the nasopharynx and entering the bloodstream, where it rapidly proliferates causing a syndrome known as Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD). Read More

Open Forum Infect Dis 2022 May 8;9(5):ofac162. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Infectious Disease Service, Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, USA.

We describe the public health response to a military trainee who developed serogroup B meningococcal disease while sharing underwater breathing equipment. Despite high transmission risk, with rapid isolation and postexposure prophylaxis administration, there were no secondary cases. This case supports carefully weighing serogroup B meningococcal vaccination in high-risk settings. Read More

PLoS One 2022 29;17(4):e0267786. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Pfizer France, Paris, France.

Objective: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is life-threatening and associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The study aimed to examine the clinical characteristics and hospital-based healthcare resource use and related costs following IMD diagnosis in France.

Methods: Patients admitted to hospitals due to IMD between 2014 and 2016 were selected from the French hospital discharge database (PMSI). Read More

Adv Ther 2022 Apr 28. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Institute Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr Roux, 75015, Paris, France.

Introduction: COMBAT is a prospective, multicentre cohort study that enrolled consecutive adults with community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) in 69 participating centres in France between February 2013 and July 2015 and followed them for 1 year.

Methods: Patients aged at least 18 years old, hospitalised with CABM were followed during their hospitalisation and then contacted by phone 12 months after enrolment. Here we present the prevalence of sequelae at 12 months in a subgroup of patients with meningococcal meningitis. Read More

Vaccines (Basel) 2022 Apr 14;10(4). Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy.

For more than a century, epidemic meningococcal disease mainly caused by serogroup A has been an important public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this problem, an affordable meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine, MenAfriVac, was developed specifically for populations in the African meningitis belt countries. MenAfriVac was licensed based on safety and immunogenicity data for a population aged 1-29 years. Read More

Antibiotics (Basel) 2022 Apr 3;11(4). Epub 2022 Apr 3.

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Tainan 73657, Taiwan.

This study was conducted to compare the number of cases of airborne/droplet-transmitted notifiable infectious disease (NID) between the pandemic period (defined as from January 2020 to December 2021) and the pre-pandemic period (defined as the period from January 2018 to December 2019). The annual case numbers of airborne/droplet-transmitted NIDs from 2018 to 2021 were collected for comparison. Fourteen airborne/droplet-transmitted NIDs including measles, rubella, pertussis, influenza with severe complications, invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD), Q fever, mumps, meningococcal meningitis, varicella, legionellosis, invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b infection, hantavirus syndrome, TB, and multidrug-resistant TB (MDRTB), were included for the analysis. Read More

J Microbiol 2022 Apr 18. Epub 2022 Apr 18.

Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) Lavale, Pune, 412115, India.

Neisseria meningitidis is a Gram-negative human-restricted pathogen that asymptomatically resides in the human respiratory tract. Meningococcal meningitis and sepsis both are caused by N. meningitidis. Read More

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2022 Apr 13. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Background: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is an unpredictable and severe infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Its case fatality rate could vary from 9.7% to 26% and up to 36% of survivors may experience long-term sequelae, representing a challenge for public health. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2022 Apr 14;23:e936096. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Department of Internal Medicine, Olive View - UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, CA, USA.

BACKGROUND Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, also known as acute adrenal insufficiency due to adrenal gland hemorrhage, is an uncommon and frequently fatal condition classically presenting with fever, shock, rash, and coagulopathy. Although most often associated with Meningococcemia, many other etiologies have been implicated, including reports of Staphylococcus aureus infection on autopsy examinations. This report details an adult intravenous drug user with adrenal hemorrhage associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 03 29;19(7). Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation, Policlinico Hospital, 20122 Milan, Italy.

Meningococcal disease is caused by ; 13 serogroups have been identified and differentiated from each other through their capsular polysaccharide. Serotypes A, B, C, W, X, and Y are responsible for nearly all infections worldwide. The most common clinical manifestations are meningitis and invasive meningococcal disease, both characterized by high mortality and long-term sequelae. Read More

Dela J Public Health 2022 Mar 29;8(1):76-78. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Director, Pediatric Infectious Disease; Director, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement, ChristianaCare; Co-Chair, Immunization Coalition of Delaware.

Neisseria meningitidis is an aerobic, gram-negative, diplococcus bacterium that is a leading cause of meningitis and sepsis in the United States. Particularly at-risk groups include those with complement deficiencies, people using complement inhibitors, individuals with anatomic or functional asplenia, patients with HIV infection and travelers to endemic countries. There are currently three quadrivalent meningococcal vaccines (Serogroups A, C, W, Y) and two recombinant serogroup B vaccines available for use in the United States, and recommendations for vaccine use have changed rapidly in the past 10-15 years. Read More

Vaccine X 2022 Apr 19;10:100156. Epub 2022 Mar 19.

Department of Maternal and Child Nursing and Public Health, School of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Objective: Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on meningococcal C conjugate vaccination in Brazil.

Methods: Ecological study, based on interrupted time series, carried out with data collected through the Information System of the National Immunization Program (IS-NIP). Collected data refer to the number of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine doses administered from March 2019 to December 2020. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2022 Jun 23;119:1-9. Epub 2022 Mar 23.

Sanofi Pasteur, Global Medical Affairs, Dubai, UAE.

Objectives: To describe risk factors (RFs) and quantify their effects in invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) and associated mortality across all age groups based on the available published literature.

Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted via MEDLINE® and Embase. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Read More

J Infect Dis 2022 Mar 24. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA.

Rollout of meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine in Africa started in 2010, aiming to eliminate meningitis outbreaks, in meningitis belt countries. Since then, studies have been conducted, primarily using isolates, to assess the vaccine impact on the distribution of meningococcal strains in the region. Here, we implemented an innovative, culture-free whole genome sequencing approach on almost 400 clinical specimens collected between 2017-2019 from meningococcal meningitis cases in 6 African countries. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2022 Mar 22;22(1):275. Epub 2022 Mar 22.

York University, Toronto, Canada.

Background: Mass gatherings can not only trigger major outbreaks on-site but also facilitate global spread of infectious pathogens. Hajj is one of the largest mass gathering events worldwide where over two million pilgrims from all over the world gather annually creating intense congestion.

Methods: We developed a meta-population model to represent the transmission dynamics of Neisseria meningitidis and the impact of Hajj pilgrimage on the risk of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) for pilgrims population, local population at the Hajj site and country of origin of Hajj pilgrims. Read More

Einstein (Sao Paulo) 2022 7;20:eAO6131. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and treatment of children with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock at a pediatric emergency department of a public hospital.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study. The medical records of patients included in the hospital Pediatric Sepsis Protocol and patients with discharge ICD-10 A41. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 Mar 14;12(3):e057285. Epub 2022 Mar 14.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence and severity of anaemia and to examine its associations with outcome in children with bacterial meningitis (BM).

Design: Secondary analysis of descriptive data from five randomised BM treatment trials.

Setting: Hospitals in Finland, Latin America and Angola. Read More

Expert Rev Vaccines 2022 May 29;21(5):659-674. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Global Medical Affairs Neisseria, GSK, Rueil-Malmaison, France.

Introduction: Social deprivation is associated with poorer healthcare access. Vaccination is among the most effective public health interventions and achieving equity in vaccination access is vitally important. However, vaccines are often reimbursed by public funds only when recommended in national immunization programs (NIPs), which can increase inequity between high and low socioeconomic groups. Read More

Front Microbiol 2022 17;13:815044. Epub 2022 Feb 17.

Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.

In January and February 2015, serogroup B (NmB) outbreaks occurred at two universities in the United States, and mass vaccination campaigns using MenB vaccines were initiated as part of a public health response. Meningococcal carriage evaluations were conducted concurrently with vaccination campaigns at these two universities and at a third university, where no NmB outbreak occurred. Meningococcal isolates ( = 1,514) obtained from these evaluations were characterized for capsule biosynthesis by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2022 Apr 2;10(2):e0192321. Epub 2022 Mar 2.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Togo has reported seasonal meningitis outbreaks caused by non-Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A (NmA) pathogens since the introduction of meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (MACV, MenAfriVac) in 2014. From 2016 to 2017, NmW caused several outbreaks. In early 2019, a NmC outbreak was detected in the Savanes region of Togo and its investigation is described here. Read More

Vaccines (Basel) 2022 Feb 16;10(2). Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Department of Internal Medicine 2, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the adherence to vaccinations, especially pneumococcal vaccinations, in lung cancer patients.

Methods: the study was performed at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. All patients with a regular appointment scheduled between 1 December 2020 and 29 April 2021 and who provided informed consent were included. Read More

Vaccines (Basel) 2022 Feb 16;10(2). Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia.

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide with serogroup B being the predominant serogroup in Australia and other countries for the past few decades. The licensed 4CMenB vaccine is effective in preventing meningococcal B disease. Emerging evidence suggests that although 4CMenB impact on carriage is limited, it may be effective against gonorrhoea due to genetic similarities between . Read More

Braz J Infect Dis 2022 Jan-Feb;26(1):102330. Epub 2022 Feb 15.

Microbiologia Clínica y Ambiental Research Group, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia; Intensive Care and Obstetric Research Group (GRICIO). University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.

The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, a strictly human pathogen, can cause meningitis, meningococcemia, sepsis, and death; repeatedly it scause outbreaks around the world. The frequency of asymptomatic carriage is often high in adolescents and young adults, increasing the invasive meningococcal disease risk and likelihood of transmission. However, detailed analyses of meningococcal carriage in this population in Colombia, particularly in coastal areas, are lacking. Read More

Ulster Med J 2022 Jan 11;91(1):9-18. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science, The Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK.

Background: Several meningococcal vaccines have been recently introduced into the infant and adolescent vaccination schedules in Northern Ireland to promote immunity to protecting against meningococcal septicaemia and meningococcal meningitis. Maintained vaccination uptake is vital in securing individual protection as well as herd immunity. Several social factors have been described in influencing vaccine uptake and therefore it was the aim of this study to examine possible correlations between meningococcal vaccine uptake rates and indicators of social deprivation in Northern Ireland. Read More

New Microbes New Infect 2022 Jan 10;45:100953. Epub 2022 Jan 10.

Clinical Development Research Center, Mofid Children's Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Meningitis and meningococcal septicemia are potentially life-threatening illnesses; young people in educational institutions have been repeatedly exposed to outbreaks of meningococcal infections. Since invasive meningococcal disease is preceded by pharyngeal carriage of , ascertaining the prevalence of meningococcal carriage in this population is of utmost importance. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of meningococcal carriage in students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Read More

J Med Microbiol 2022 Feb;71(2)

Faculdade de Medicina da Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Invasive meningococcal disease is a major health problem, impacting morbidity and mortality worldwide. Exploratory genomics has revealed insights into adaptation, transmissibility and virulence to elucidate endemic, outbreaks or epidemics caused by serogroup W (MenW) strains. Limited information on the genomics of serogroup W ST11/cc11 is available from emerging countries, especially in contemporary isolates. Read More

Front Microbiol 2021 24;12:801196. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China.

() remains a worldwide leading cause of epidemic meningitis. During 2011-July 2021, 55 meningococcal disease (MD) cases were reported with a case fatality rate of 5.45% in Zhejiang Province, China. Read More

Eur J Pediatr 2022 May 4;181(5):1997-2004. Epub 2022 Feb 4.

The Jeffrey Modell Foundation Israeli Network for Primary Immunodeficiency, New York, NY, USA.

Diagnosis of primary complement deficiencies requires a high index of suspicion. Thus, susceptible patients are often underdiagnosed and untreated. Here, we present a multicenter experience with two novel inborn errors of the classical complement system. Read More

mSphere 2022 02 26;7(1):e0067421. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxfordgrid.4991.5 and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines are safe and provide strain-specific protection against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) primarily by inducing serum bactericidal antibodies against the outer membrane proteins (OMP). To design broader coverage vaccines, knowledge of the immunogenicity of all the antigens contained in OMVs is needed. In a Phase I clinical trial, an investigational meningococcal OMV vaccine, MenPF1, made from a meningococcus genetically modified to constitutively express the iron-regulated FetA induced bactericidal responses to both the PorA and the FetA antigen present in the OMP. Read More