Neisseria meningitidis is the causative agent of potentially fatal meningitis and septic shock, induced by bacterial colonization of blood vessels in the brain and the periphery. The endothelial cell receptor mediating meningococcal adhesion to blood vessels has previously been unknown. Here Sandrine Bourdoulous and colleagues report that CD147 expressed on human endothelial cells is a crucial mediator of N. meningitidis vascular colonization, providing new insight into some of the mechanisms that give rise to meningococcal disease.
- Sandra C Bernard
- Nandi Simpson
- Sandrine Bourdoulous
