Neisseria meningitidis, the secrets of cerebral vascular endothelial subversion revealed

The lecture was illustrated by a seminar entitled " Neisseria meningitidis, the revealed secrets of cerebral vascular endothelial subversion", given by Professor Xavier Nassif (PU-PH at the Necker-Enfants malades medical school and INSERM unit director), an international specialist in meningococcal infection. He and his team have recently deciphered with extreme precision how Neisseria meningitidis adheres to the endothelial cell, in its junctional zones, thanks to the engagement of the beta-adrenergic receptor and, via an efficient mobilization of the cellular cytoskeleton, crosses the endothelial monolayer. The seminar also focused on a special category of microorganisms known as "commensal-pathogens", whose main lifestyle consists in the "peaceful" colonization of a mucosal surface, such as that of the nasopharynx for N. meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, but which, in certain circumstances, are capable of translocating through this mucosal barrier and becoming formidable pathogens, thanks to their efficiency in systemic dissemination and their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.