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Meningococcal disease: a review on available vaccines and vaccines in development
Abstract:
Meningococcal disease continue to have a major public health impact in many countries. Five major groups of Neisseria meningitidis (A, B, C, Y and W135) are responsible for most meningococcal diseases. Plain polysaccharides vaccines for Neisseria meningitidis groups A, C, Y and W-135 have been in use for approximately 20 years, both to prevent invasive disease in high-risk population and to control disease outbreaks. However, these conventional meningococcal vaccines induce a relatively short-lasting T-cell independent immune response, are not effective in children under two years of age and can induce hyporesponsiveness. New meningococcal group C conjugate vaccines have since been developed, which offer solid advantages over the currently licensed plain polysaccharide vaccines. Tetravalent serogroup A, C, Y and W135 meningococcal vaccines are under development and one has already been licensed. There is still no universal vaccine available against the serogroup B, which is a major cause of invasive disease. This report summarises the different approaches to the development of vaccines against the pathogenic meningococci.
Insights
Meningococcal vaccines protect against major disease groups A, C, Y, and W-135. Research explores new vaccine development, especially for serogroup B, to improve protection and overcome limitations of older vaccines.
Area of Science:
- Vaccinology
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Meningococcal disease, caused by Neisseria meningitidis, remains a significant global public health concern.
- Five serogroups (A, B, C, Y, W-135) account for the majority of invasive meningococcal disease cases.
- Conventional polysaccharide vaccines have limitations, including short-lived immunity and ineffectiveness in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize diverse strategies for developing vaccines against pathogenic Neisseria meningitidis.
- To highlight advancements in meningococcal vaccine technology, including conjugate and novel approaches.
- To address the ongoing challenge of developing a universal vaccine against serogroup B meningococcus.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on meningococcal vaccine development.
- Analysis of the immunological responses and clinical efficacy of different vaccine types.
- Summary of ongoing research and development pipelines for new meningococcal vaccines.
Main Results:
- Meningococcal conjugate vaccines (e.g., for serogroup C) demonstrate improved efficacy and immunogenicity over polysaccharide vaccines.
- Tetravalent vaccines targeting serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135 are available or in development.
- A universal vaccine against serogroup B meningococcus is still lacking, representing a critical unmet need.
Conclusions:
- Significant progress has been made in developing meningococcal vaccines, offering better protection against key serogroups.
- Conjugate technology has overcome many limitations of older polysaccharide vaccines.
- Further research is crucial to develop effective vaccines against serogroup B and achieve broader meningococcal disease prevention.
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