Understanding why carriers of meningococci occasionally develop invasive disease is a major challenge. Individual strains of meningococci are extremely variable and undergo dynamic changes in DNA content and organization. This heterogeneity of meningococcal populations might enhance the fitness of this human-restricted bacterium. The recent discovery of a meningococcal bacteriophage and its associations to disease is an intriguing example of this variability and could contribute to a better understanding of microbial commensal and virulence behaviour.
Journal article
2005-12-01T00:00:00+00:00
13
563 - 565
2
Bacteriophages, Genetic Heterogeneity, Humans, Meningitis, Meningococcal, Neisseria meningitidis, Virulence