HWN Suggests

Meningitis bacteria adapting to STI niche, genetic analysis shows

Genetic changes make this "clade" of N. meningitidis look more like relatives that are known to cause gonorrhea, says lead author Yih-Ling Tzeng, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at Emory University School of Medicine. In particular, the bacteria have lost their outer coat-capsules, potentially enhancing their ability to stick to mucosal surfaces in the body, and have gained enzymes that promote growth in a low-oxygen environment. Some good news is that the capsule-less organism is less likely to cause invasive diseases such as meningitis, because the capsule protects the bacteria against components of the immune system found in the blood, Tzeng says.

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 Meningococcal Urethritis: Old and New

According to 2021 CDC guidelines, meningococcal urethritis should be treated with the same approach as gonococcal urethritis. Currently, uncomplicated gonococcal infections in the urethra are treated with a single dose of ceftriaxone intramuscularly (i.m.; 250 mg) when chlamydial infection is excluded. The CDC guidelines also state that sexual partners exposed to meningococcal urethritis may be treated similarly to sexual partners exposed to N. gonorrhoeae; however, there are little to no data specific to N. meningitidis on the utility of treating sexual partners.

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