MICROM 442 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Neisseria Meningitidis, Cd46, Neisseria
Document Summary
11:05 am: gram-negative diplococci; non-motile, non-spore forming, to grow it in culture it requires enriched medium and co2 for growth, oxidase positive, pathogens differentiated by sugar utilization: Meningococcus: maltose and glucose: host range: obligate human pathogens. No good animal model to study pathogenesis and immunity: they have a typical gram-negative cell wall, and have pili, outer membrane proteins (por, opa) and lipooligosaccaride (los), pili: function in initial attachment to host cells; variable in sequence. Host receptors: cd46 on male urogenital epithelial cells. Contains conserved regions and 6 immunodominant variable regions. Only one antigenic type is produced at a given time. Multiple genes are present, but as silent (pils). Recombination (non-reciprocal) is either intrachromosomal or via transformation. Given 17different silent gene copies, each containing 6 variable regions: over. 10^6 pilin types can be produced: outer membrane proteins, por (omp i) Por is the most abundant structural surface protein: 50-60% of the total protein.
