Coureuil M
; Join-Lambert O
; Lécuyer H
; Bourdoulous S
; Marullo S
; Nassif X
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med
2013[Jun]; 3
(6
): ? PMID23732856
show ga
Neisseria meningitidis is responsible for two major diseases: cerebrospinal
meningitis and/or septicemia. The latter can lead to a purpura fulminans, an
often-fatal condition owing to the associated septic shock. These two clinical
aspects of the meningococcal infection are consequences of a tight interaction of
meningococci with host endothelial cells. This interaction, mediated by the type
IV pili, is responsible for the formation of microcolonies on the apical surface
of the cells. This interaction is followed by the activation of signaling
pathways in the host cells leading to the formation of a microbiological synapse.
A low level of bacteremia is likely to favor the colonization of brain vessels,
leading to bacterial meningitis, whereas the colonization of a large number of
vessels by a high number of bacteria is responsible for one of the most severe
forms of septic shock observed.
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