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Meningococcal infection and its effective antibiotics
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K Abedini *   , M Darvishi , S Zareiy , M Samadpoor , A Eskandari |
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Abstract: (15465 Views) |
| N. meningitidis is a gram-negative diplococcus that is a strict human
pathogen. It most commonly causes asymptomatic nasopharyngeal
carriage but on occasion causes invasive disease.
Discussions of meningococcal epidemiology and prevention
necessarily include meningococcal serogroups. Pathogenic strains
of N. meningitidis have a polysaccharide capsule, which serves as a
major virulence factor for this organism. Unencapsulated strains,
frequently found in the nasopharynx of asymptomatic carriers, rarely
cause invasive disease.
There are specific host factors that increase the risk of invasive
meningococcal infection because only a minute fraction of
nasopharyngeal carriers of N. meningitidis develop clinical disease.
Therapy requires the prompt administration of antibiotics following
the collection of appropriate diagnostic specimens. The therapy of
choice is penicillin or ampicillin because the meningococcus
remains susceptible to these agents around the world. The
prevalence of carriage varies by study but is generally highest in
adolescents and young adults. |
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| Keywords: N. meningitides, Antibiotics, Meningococcal infection |
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Full-Text [PDF 250 kb]
(4708 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original |
Received: 2012/03/7 | Accepted: 2014/06/3 | Published: 2014/06/3
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