University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Pennsylvania, USA.
Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Mar 1;50 Suppl 2(S2):S37-44. doi: 10.1086/648963.
Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and other serious infections worldwide. The epidemiological profile of N. meningitidis is highly changeable, with great differences in disease incidence and serogroup distribution. Six serogroups (namely serogroups A, B, C, W-135, X, and Y) are responsible for most cases of meningococcal disease worldwide; the epidemiological profile of disease caused by each serogroup is unique. No vaccine is available for endemic disease caused by serogroup B strains. Two tetravalent (A/C/Y/W-135) meningococcal vaccines are licensed in the United States: a purified polysaccharide product and a polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine. The conjugate vaccine is recommended for all adolescents, although vaccine coverage remains low, and other groups at high risk of infection. A comprehensive program to prevent invasive meningococcal disease in the United States will require vaccination of infants; several conjugate vaccines for infants may become available in the near future. Broadly protective vaccines for endemic serogroup B disease are also needed.
脑膜炎奈瑟菌是导致全球细菌性脑膜炎和其他严重感染的主要原因。脑膜炎奈瑟菌的流行病学特征变化很大，疾病发病率和血清群分布存在很大差异。六个血清群（即 A、B、C、W-135、X 和 Y 血清群）负责全球大多数脑膜炎球菌病病例；每个血清群引起的疾病的流行病学特征都是独特的。针对 B 群菌株引起的地方性疾病，目前尚无可用的疫苗。在美国，有两种四价（A/C/Y/W-135）脑膜炎球菌疫苗获得许可：一种是纯化多糖产品，另一种是多糖蛋白结合疫苗。该结合疫苗推荐用于所有青少年，尽管疫苗接种率仍然较低，而且其他感染风险高的群体也是如此。在美国，预防侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病的综合计划将需要为婴儿接种疫苗；未来不久，可能会有几种针对婴儿的结合疫苗上市。还需要广泛保护针对地方性 B 群疾病的疫苗。
