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Updated: May 28, 2026

Visualisation and Quantification of Intracellular Interactions of Neisseria meningitidis and Human α-actinin by Confocal Imaging
12:58

Visualisation and Quantification of Intracellular Interactions of Neisseria meningitidis and Human α-actinin by Confocal Imaging

Published on: October 24, 2010

In vivo imaging of meningococcal disease dynamics

Hong Sjölinder1, Ann-Beth Jonsson

  • 1Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Toxicology (GMT), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Hong.Sjolinder@gmt.su.se

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|October 14, 2011
PubMed

Insights

This study details creating a bioluminescent Neisseria meningitidis strain. This tool allows researchers to visualize and understand the rapid progression of meningococcal disease and host-pathogen interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Neisseria meningitidis causes severe sepsis and meningitis with high mortality.
  • The rapid disease progression and host-pathogen interactions remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a bioluminescent Neisseria meningitidis strain for studying disease dynamics.
  • To utilize in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to gain insights into meningococcal infection.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of a bioluminescently labeled Neisseria meningitidis strain.
  • Application of in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to track infection progression.

Main Results:

  • A protocol for creating a bioluminescent N. meningitidis strain was established.
  • In vivo bioluminescence imaging enabled observation of novel disease dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • Bioluminescent labeling provides a powerful tool for investigating meningococcal pathogenesis.
  • BLI facilitates real-time monitoring of host-pathogen interactions in vivo.

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