Meningococcus

Available killed vaccines include acellular pertussis, anthrax, botulism, cholera, diptheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), influenza, Lyme disease, meningococcus, pertussis, plague, pneumococcus, polio, rabies, tetanus, typhoid, and typhoid VI. 

Serious streptococcal infections, such 150,000 units/kg/day divided in as pneumonia and endocarditis (S. equal doses every 4 to 6 h pneumoniae) and meningococcus... 

Meningitis caused by susceptible strains of pneumococcus and meningococcus... 

When culture results of CSE and/or blood are available therapy should always be streamlined. If the meningococcus, pneumococcus, group B streptococcus or Listeria are penicillin sensitive, this small spectrum agent (benzylpenicillin 6x3 million units/day i.v.) would be the therapy of choice. 

Subcellular vaccines approved by the FDA for human use include those against pneumococcus, meningococcus, H. influen-... 

Child H influenzae, pneumococcus, meningococcus Ceftriaxone or cefotaxime vancomycin3 Chloramphenicol, meropenem... 

Adult Pneumococcus, meningococcus Ceftriaxone, cefotaxime Vancomycin + ceftriaxone or cefotaxime3... 

Gram-negative cocci Spherical or ovoid do not retain color by Gram s method Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus)... 

Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) Meningitis Penicillin G 3rd-generation cephalosporin... 

Pizza M, Scarlato V, Masignani V et al (2000) Identification of vaccine candidates against serogroup B meningococcus by whole-genome sequencing. Science 287 1816-1820... 

Penicillin was first used in 1941 as an antibiotic. Because of its low toxicity, it was called a miracle drug. It was used in infections such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus, meningococcus, gonorrhea, syphilis, diphtheria, and tetanus. Furthermore, penicillin also has prophylactic uses for some diseases. 

If meningococcus is confirmed by the microbiology laboratory and antibiotic sensitivity data suggest the strain is sensitive, the patient s therapy may be streamlined to benzylpenicillin i.v. 2.4 g every 4 hours. However, in practice it may be difficult to persuade the clinician to discontinue the initial therapy if the patient shows signs of improving. 

Rifampicin (600 mg orally twice daily for 2 days) should be administered to patients with meningococcal or H. influenzae meningitis who have not been treated with ceftriaxone, as soon as they can tolerate oral medication to eliminate nasal carriage of the organisms. Alternatively ciprofloxacin (500 mg orally stat) has proven efficacy for elimination of nasal carriage of meningococcus only. 

Spread of meningococcus between family members and close contacts is well recognised and chemoprophylaxis is recommended for close contacts as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours. Rifampicin 600 mg every 12 hours for 2 days is licensed for chemoprophylaxis but ciprofloxacin 500 mg orally as a single dose (unlicensed) is also effective and often recommended for convenience. 

In 1912, Jordan Lloyd completed the Part II Tripos in zoology and obtained a B.Sc. (London), but she found she was more interested in the functional and dynamic side of biology than in the structural studies. Following her interest, when she took up research as a Bathurst Student (1912-1914), her topic was the physicochemical studies of proteins under Hardy, who had earlier mentored Willcock. Then in 1914, Hopkins invited her to join his group as a Newnham Research Fellow. With the outbreak of war, Jordan Lloyd worked on culture media for meningococcus, one of the anaerobic pathogens involved in trench diseases, and on the causes and prevention of ropiness in bread. For this research, she was awarded a D.Sc. (London) in 1916. 

The immunologically specific substance characteristic of Group C Meningococcus has already been mentioned this was extracted from phenol-killed organisms, and protein was removed by the Sevag method after fractionation with ethanol, nucleic acid was removed as the copper salt. The product contained 5 % of nitrogen and 11 % of acetyl, and hexosamine was the only constituent other than sialic acid. ... 

Haemophilus influenzae type b has an infectivity similar to that of the meningococcus. Rifampicin 600 mg daily should be given for 4 days. 

Formulations for the purpose of administering vaccines to the nasal mucosa have also been extensively investigated. To date, only one product of nasal spray for protection against influenza is marketed, and several other vaccines, such as tetanus, shigella, and meningococcus, are under clinical stages. 

The meningococcus, Neisseria meningitidis, is divided into 10 distinct serotypes. Groups B and C are responsible for 80% of the meningitis cases reported, one of the major causes of death in children and adults. These bacteria contain linear polysialic acids. In Group C, the bond between the sialyl residues, partially or non-acetylated, is a-(2->9). This structure, 12.26, is a powerful immunogen the polysaccharide of Group C is an official vaccine. However, there is no response in children less than two years old, perhaps because at this age, a similar polysialyl structure is found in their tissues. 

The meningococcus was first shown to be sensitive to sulfanilamide by English workers in 1936, and reports of successful treatment with it of cerebrospinal fever appeared in 1937. Mortality, which averaged 63% in the years 1931-36, fell more gradually than might have been expected The fig-... 

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