Meningitis vaccine

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Chetan Lokhande, M.B.B.S [2]

Meningococcal vaccine is a vaccine used against Neisseria meningitidis, a bacterium that causes meningitis, meningococcemia, septicemia, and rarely carditis, septic arthritis, or pneumonia.^[1]

Vaccine

MENVEO^®

Description | Clinical Pharmacology | Indications and Usage | Contraindications | Warnings and Precautions | Adverse Reactions | Drug Interactions | Dosage and Administration | How Supplied | Labels and Packages

The mechanism of action is not completely understood. It has been reported that these particulate adjuvants act by increasing antigen availability and uptake by immune cells. However, recent work on alum and on the squalene-based emulsion MF59, has demonstrated that besides antigen delivery functions, these classes of adjuvants can also activate innate immunity pathways in vivo, generating an immunocompetent environment at injection site. Interestingly, it has been demonstrated that alum adjuvanticity depends on the activation of a protein complex called NLPR3/inflammasome, which is required for the correct processing of a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL1β. More work needs to be performed to investigate if the inflammasome is also required for the activity of MF59 and of other particulate vaccine adjuvants.^[2]