How do meningococcal bacteria persist in the back of the nose and throat?
Research archive
- Imperial College Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, London, UK
- Researchers:
Dr Chistoph Tang
- Project Number: 0017.0
- Category: Prevention, Treatment
- Duration: 36 months
- Start Date: 01 January 2001
- Type: Lay summary
- View scientific version
The only place in nature in which meningococcal bacteria can live is in the back of the nose and throat of healthy people. Understanding how the bacteria survive in this environment could pave the way to preventing infection. It is now known that the bacteria do not merely sit on the surface of tissues at the back of the nose and throat, but can penetrate to deeper layers even in people who do not become ill with meningococcal disease.
The aim of this work is to understand how these bacteria can penetrate deep into the nose and throat tissue, so that they are able to persist in human populations. This will be achieved by combining modern genetic methods and model systems within the laboratory that imitate the way the bacteria infect humans. In this way, the factors required for penetration and survival of the bacteria will be identified. This could help us to identify new vaccine components and new treatment strategies against meningococcal infection.
Results from this study have been published in scientific journals as follows:
Tang CM, Stroud D, Mackinnon F, Makepeace K, Plested J, Moxon ER, Chalmers R.
Genetic linkage analysis to identify a gene required for the addition of phosphoethanolamine to meningococcal lipopolysaccharide.
Gene 2002 Feb 6;284(1-2):133-40.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6T39-44YWTH0-2-9&_cdi=4941&_user=10&_orig=search&_coverDate=02%2F06%2F2002&_qd=1&_sk=997159998&view=c&wchp=dGLbVlb-zSkzV&md5=b7362009ba30dd854f349f837547f6e6&ie=/sdarticle.pdf
Winzer K, Sun YH, Green A, Delory M, Blackley D, Hardie KR, Baldwin TJ, Tang CM.
Role of Neisseria meningitidis luxS in cell-to-cell signaling and bacteremic infection.
Infect Immun 2002 Apr;70(4):2245-8.
http://iai.asm.org/cgi/reprint/70/4/2245.pdf
Li Y, Sun YH, Ison C, Levine MM, Tang CM.
Vaccination with attenuated Neisseria meningitidis strains protects against challenge with live Meningococci.
Infect Immun 2004 Jan;72(1):345-51.
http://iai.asm.org/cgi/reprint/72/1/345.pdf
Corbett A, Exley R, Bourdoulous S, Tang CM,
Interactions between Neisseria meningitidis and human cells that promote colonisation and disease.
Expert Rev Mol Med 2004 Jul 9;6(14):1-14.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=232439
Vendeville A, Winzer K, Heurlier K, Tang CM, Hardie KR.
Making 'sense' of metabolism: autoinducer-2, LuxS and pathogenic bacteria.
Nat Rev Microbiol 2005 May;3(5):383-96. http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/journal/v3/n5/abs/nrmicro1146_fs.html;jsessionid=8A1C4C8EDD4EBE0D8DB376E5F92C8491
Exley RM, Goodwin L, Mowe E, Shaw J, Smith H, Read RC, Tang CM.
Neisseria meningitidis lactate permease is required for nasopharyngeal colonization.
Infect Immun 2005 Sep;73(9):5762-6.
http://iai.asm.org/cgi/reprint/73/9/5762.pdf
Greiner O, Berger C, Day PJ, Meier G, Tang CM, Nadal D,
Rates of detection of Neisseria meningitidis in tonsils differ in relation to local incidence of invasive disease.
J Clin Microbiol 2002 Nov;40(11):3917-21.
http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/reprint/40/11/3917