Neisseria meningitidis

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Classification

Kingdom: Bacteria

Phylum: Proteobacteria

Class: Beta Proteobacteria

Order: Neisseriales

Family: Neisseriaceae

Genus: Neisseria

Species: N. meningitidis

Binomial Name

Neisseria meningitis

Description and significance

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why it is important enough to have its genome sequenced. Describe how and where it was isolated. Include a picture or two (with sources) if you can find them.

Genome structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle?

The genome of Neisseria menignitidis, as well as other bacteria, is comprised of DNA within which it's entire hereditary information is encoded.

Cell structure and metabolism

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Neisseria meningitidis, is a gram-negative diplococcal bacterium. A notable feature of this bacterium is its prominent antiphagocytic polysaccharide capsule. The 12 strains that have been identified are grouped on the basis of their capsular polysaccharides; which in certain cases can be further subdivided according to the presence of outer membrane protein and lipopolysaccharide antigens. Neisseria meningitidis cell surface also posseses type IV pili, which are retractile fibers, which serve in their attachment to epithelial cells during host colonization and invasion. As far as sources of energy are concerned, glucose and lactose are believed to be essential for successful colonization.

Ecology

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Pathology

How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

As mentioned earlier, there are approximately 12 serogroups of Neisseria meningiditis. Among these known strains, serogroups A, B, and C have been found to be those responsible for 90% of meningococcal meningitis cases. Specifically, serogroup A has been implicated in meningitis epidemics in developing countries, while serogroups B and C have been implicated in meningitis epidemics in already developed countries.

Neisseria meningitidis is only found in human hosts of which 5-15% of the population are carriers. Specifically, the bacterium can be found in the nasopharyngeal tract, in its non-detrimental form. Transformation from it's initial asymptomatic form into meningitis arises when the bacterium crosses the mucosal barrier via type IV pili, and enters the blood stream. Once in the blood stream they are free to travel to the cerebral spinal fluid or the meninges, tissues that surround the brain and spinal cord. Accordingly, this infection of the meninges results in bacterial meningitis, which mainly affects adults, and should not be confused with viral meningitis which affects babies and young children.

Meningitis results in the swelling of the meninges and causes flu-like such as high fever, severe headache, and neck stiffness and pain that make touching your chin to your chest difficult. It is also highly contagious and could result in death if left untreated. Fortunately, antibiotics and steriod medications can be used to cure the disease and treat inflammation, respectively.

Application to Biotechnology

Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?

Current Research

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References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neisseria_meningitidis http://www.brown.edu/Courses/Bio_160/Projects1999/bmenin/nmenin.html http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/N_meningitidis http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/meningitis-cause http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genomes