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Invasion of the Central Nervous System by Neisseria meningitidis

C Tinsley1, X Nassif

  • 1INSERM Unite 411, Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France.

Methods in Molecular Medicine
|February 22, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Neisseria meningitidis causes meningitis by crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and triggering inflammation. Cytokine production in situ is key to leukocyte transmigration into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis is a significant extracellular pathogen causing septicemia and meningitis.
  • Bacterial meningitis necessitates crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and inducing inflammation in the subarachnoid space.
  • Mechanisms of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis are shared among extracellular meningitis pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of CSF pleocytosis induced by Neisseria meningitidis.
  • To understand how extracellular pathogens induce inflammation within the central nervous system.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized several animal models to study bacterial meningitis pathogenesis.
  • Focused on the inflammatory response within the subarachnoid space post-BBB penetration.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that Neisseria meningitidis invades the BBB to cause meningitis.
  • Identified in situ cytokine production as the primary event driving leukocyte transmigration across the BBB.
  • Confirmed similarities in CSF pleocytosis mechanisms among various extracellular meningitis pathogens.

Conclusions:

  • In situ cytokine production is crucial for initiating the inflammatory cascade leading to meningitis.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is vital for developing targeted therapies against bacterial meningitis.

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