Neisseria meningitidis Z2491

Neisseria_meningitidis
Names Neisseria meningitidis Z2491
Accession numbers NC_003116
Background Neisseria are aerobic, non-spore-forming Gram-negative coccobacilli which inhabit the mucous membranes of many animals (and humans). These non-motile microbes require a moist environment and warm temperatures (human body temperature range) to achieve optimum growth.Neisseria meningitidis causes bacterial meningitis and is therefore responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in both the developed and the developing world. Group A is responsible for meningitis outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, while group B is responsible for meningitis in the United States and Europe.Meningococci are opportunistic pathogens that colonise the nasopharynges and oropharynges of asymptomatic carriers. For reasons that are still mostly unknown, they occasionally gain access to the blood, and subsequently to the cerebrospinal fluid, to cause septicaemia and meningitis. Meningitis is a life threatening infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord.There are five groups of disease-causing N. meningitidis, designated A, B, C, Y, and W135, to date only the complete genomes of Serogroups A and B have been sequenced and were published only 3 weeks apart.Vaccines exist for all groups except B. Researchers have attempted to make vaccines for group B N. meningitidis for many years, but it has so far proved impossible, however sequencing of the B serotype is accompanied by a report describing how scientists used the data to find vaccine candidates for groups B N. meningitidis. Seven proteins, which triggered a strong antibody response to group B when injected into mice, are also found in A, C, Y and W135 N. meningitidis. This suggests that a new vaccine developed from any of these seven proteins will protect against many types of N. meningitidis bacteria.Scientists now believe picking vaccine candidates from the entire repertoire of genes for an organism will probably be the only approach used to find vaccines in the future.(From http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/genomes/bacteria.html) (BacMap)
Taxonomy
Kingdom:Bacteria
Phylum:Proteobacteria
Class:Betaproteobacteria
Order:Neisseriales
Family:Neisseriaceae
Genus:Neisseria
Species:meningitidis
Strain Z2491
Complete Yes
Sequencing centre (12-DEC-2008) National Center for Biotechnology Information, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
(30-MAR-2000) sequencing team, Sanger Centre, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus,
Sequencing quality Level 6: Finished
Sequencing depth NA
Sequencing method Sanger
Isolation site Cerebrospinal fluid; Gambia in 1983
Isolation country Gambia
Number of replicons 1
Gram staining properties Negative
Shape Cocci
Mobility No
Flagellar presence No
Number of membranes 2
Oxygen requirements Aerobic
Optimal temperature 35.0
Temperature range Mesophilic
Habitat HostAssociated
Biotic relationship Free living
Host name Homo sapiens
Cell arrangement Pairs
Sporulation Nonsporulating
Metabolism NA
Energy source NA
Diseases Meningitis and septicemia
Pathogenicity Yes