Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis is an extracellular pathogen responsible for septicemia and meningitis. The occurrence of meningitis requires that bacteria cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and induce an inflammatory response within the sub arachnoid space. The mechanisms that lead to the development of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis once bacteria have reached the CSF have been studied using several animal models. These mechanisms are similar among extracellular pathogens responsible for meningitis (i.e., Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcuspneumoniae, and N. meningitidis). The in situ production of cytokines is the primary event leading to transmigration of leucocytes through the BBB (1–4).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Saukkonen K., Sande S., Cioffe C., Wolpe S., Sherry B., Cerami A., and Tuomanen E. (1990) The role of cytokines in the generation of inflammation and tissue damage in experimental gram-positive meningitis. J. Exp. Med. 171,439–448.
Quagliarello V. J., Wispelwey B., Long Jr. W. J., and Scheld W. M. (1991) Recombinant human interleukin-1 induces meningitis and blood-brain barrier injury in the rat. J. Clin. Invest. 87, 1360–1366.
Tuomanen E., Tomasz A., Hengstler B., and Zak O. (1985) The relative role of bacterial cell wall and capsule in the induction of inflammation in pneumococcal meningitis. J. Infect. Dis. 151, 535–540.
Burroughs M., Prasad S., and Tuomanen E. (1991) Peptidoglycan derived from lysis of Haemophilus influenzae induces blood-barrier permeability independant leukocytosis, in Programs and Abstracts of the 31st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, American Society for Microbiology Washington, D.C.
Reese T. S. and Karnovsky M. J. (1967) Fine strutural localization of a bloodbrain barrier to exogenous peroxidase. J. Cell. Biol. 34, 207–217.
Butt A. M., Jones H. C., and Abbott N. J. (1990) Electrical resistance across the blood-brain barrier in anaesthetized rats: a developmental study. J. Physiol. 429, 47–62.
Janzer R. C. and Raff M. C. (1987) Astrocytes induce blood-brain barrier barrier properties in endothelial cells. Nature 325, 253–256.
Levine S. (1987) Choroid plexus: target for systemic disease and pathway to the brain. Lab. Invest. 56,231–233.
Saukkonen K., Abdillahi H., Poolman J. T., and Leinonen M. (1987) Protective efficacy of monoclonal antibodies to class 1 and class 3 oter membrane proteins of Neisseria meningitidis B:15:P1.16 in infant rat infection model: new prospects for vaccine development. Microb. Path. 3, 261–267.
Pron B., Taha M. K., Rambaud C., Fournet J. C., Pattey N., Monnet J. P., et al. (1997) Interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with the components of the bloodbrain barrier correlates with an increased expression of PilC. J. Infect. Dis. 176, 1285–1292.
Durieu-Trautmann O., Bourdoulous S., Roux F., Bourre J. M., Strosberg A. D., and Couraud P. O. (1993) Immortalized rat brain microvessel endothelial cells: II. Pharmacological characterization. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 331, 205–210.
Prud’homme J. G., Sherman I. W., Kirkwood M. L., Moses A. V., Stenglein S., and Nelson J. A. (1996) Studies of Plasmodium falciparum (human Malaria) cytoadherence using immortalized human brain endothelial cells. Int. J. Parasitol. 26,647–655.
Tuomanen E. (1996) Entry of pathogens into the central nervous system. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 18, 289–299.
Merz A. J., Rifenbery D. B., Grove Arvidson C., and So M. (1996) Traversal of a polarized epithelium by pathogenic Neisseriae: facilitation by type IV pili and maintenance of epithelial barrier function. Mol. Med. 2, 745–754.
Pujol C., Eugene E., de Saint Martin L., and Nassif X. (1997) Interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with a polarised monolayer of epithelial cells. Infect. Immun. 65,4836–4842.
Pujol C., Eugene E., Marceau M., and Nassif X. (1999) The meningococcal PilT protein is required for induction of intimate attachment to epithelial cells following pilus-mediated adhesion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96,4017–4022.
Bortulossi R., Ferrieri P., and Wannamaker L. W. (1978) Dynamics of Escherichia coli infection and meningitis in infant rats. Infect. Immun. 22,480–486.
Saukkonen K. (1988) Experimental meningococcal meningitis in the infant rat. Microb. Pathog. 4, 203–211.
Kellogg D. S. J., Peacock W. L., Deacon W. E., Brown L., and Pirkle C. I. (1963) Neisseria gonorrhoeae. I. Virulence genetically linked to clonal variation. J. Bacteriol. 85, 1274–1279.
Madara J. L. and Dharmsathaphorn K. (1985) Occluding junctions structurefunction relationships in a cultured epithelial monolayer. J. Cell. Biol. 101,2124–2133.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Tinsley, C., Nassif, X. (2001). Invasion of the Central Nervous System by Neisseria meningitidis . In: Walker, J.M., Pollard, A.J., Maiden, M.C.J. (eds) Meningococcal Disease. Methods in Molecular Medicine™, vol 67. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-149-3:635
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-149-3:635
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-849-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-149-7
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols