Research Of The Meningococcal Disease example essay topic

PROJECT DETAILS: The primary investigators involved in the research of the Meningococcal Disease are Scientists, Doctors, Microbiologists and Pharmacologists from a Melbourne Institute of Medicine. The project is expected to take at least four years and requires $2 Million to assist in the research and prevention of the disease. INTRODUCTION: Meningococcal Disease is a harsh infectious disease that attacks either the brain and spinal tissue or poisons the blood. Either one can kill a person if the symptoms are gone unrecognised or treatment is delayed.

Meningococcal can affect anyone, no matter what age, race or gender. However, young children under the age of five years and young adults between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years are more susceptible to the disease. The importance of the research being conducted about Meningococcal Disease will hopefully shed some light on the structure, in particular the coating of the serotype B strain, the most common form of Meningococcal Disease in Australia. This will allow the team of specialists to fuse the coating with the appropriate protein to allow all people susceptible to the disease to be able to take the vaccine, unlike the current vaccines where children no younger than two can have them. BODY: The meningococcal disease is a severe and uncommon disease caused by the germ, 'Meningococcus', and attacks the body from either the throat or nose. The disease occurs in two main forms: Meningococcal Meningitis, when Meningococcus infect the outer lining around the brain and spinal cord, or Meningococcal Septicaemia, when Meningococcus invade the blood stream and poison the blood. (web 15/06/03).

The disease also splits up into 13 different serotypes, the five most common ones being A, B, C, W 135 and Y. When a person contracts Meningococcal Meningitis, meningococci are transferred to membrane-bound phagocytic vacuoles. They then settle on mucosal surfaces which results in infection and the mild symptoms; headaches, fever and joint / muscular pains. The meningococci may then be killed off by bacterial antibodies and phagocytes or multiply rapidly and cause further infection or enter the blood-stream and cause Meningococcal Septicaemia. (web 19/06/03). At the current moment there are two ways of combating four of the five most common serotypes, and that is with the use of Antibiotics and Vaccines. Unfortunately, all serotypes except strain B are able to be prevented with the use of a vaccine. Vaccines, prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of specific meningococcal strains.

There are two types of vaccines offered to stop the spread: - Polysaccharide: Is typically used for the serotypes A, C, W 135 and Y and only lasts for a few years. - Conjugate: Is only used for the serotype C and provides immunity against the strain for life. Antibiotics prevent the spread of the meningococcal germ by eliminating the meningococcus from the nose and throat regions of infected people for a short period of time. People can be a host to this germ and still remain healthy because they have built up some sort of an immunity to that particular strain.

When this host sneezes or coughs it is spread to others who have not built up an immunity to the particular strain and therefore they become sick. If an antibiotic is given to a person who is infected with the meningococcal disease within the early stages of the disease, then the probability of living is high. There are two antibiotics available for the prevention of and stop of the disease spreading: - Benzypenicillin - Chloramphenicol As only serotypes A and C have a vaccine able to stop and prevent the replication of the meningococci organism, the team of experts willing to supply their time and effort in developing a cure, will have to create a vaccine for the serotype B, which is the most common type of the Meningococcal Disease in Australia. Research will first have to be done on the coating of the serotype B strain of the meningococcal organism. If a new vaccine is to be successful, the serotype in the vaccine must be a match to the serotype that is naturally occurring within the meningococcal organism. (web 20/06/03).

As like the vaccine for the serotype C strain, a vaccine will be made from a coating identical to that of the serotype B meningococcal organism. Similar to the serotype C vaccine, the coating will have to be ' glued together ' with the protein that allows the vaccine to work for children under the age of two years, leads to immunological memory and therefore lasting for life and eliminating the need for another serotype B meningococcal vaccination. (web 20/06/03) Further prevention of deaths in Australia from Meningococcal Disease can be achieved by constant reminders of the symptoms of this potentially deadly disease, especially the significant red / purple bruise that forms under the skin. Warning campaigns will be conducted about the symptoms and the rash and how to deal with them. This should hopefully minimise the current diagnosis time of the disease and increase the survival rate. CONCLUSION: With this prevention and hopefully the completion of a vaccine that can combat the serotype B strain of the meningococcal disease, Meningococcal will no longer scare communities as it currently does and hopefully will become a disease of the past. Population Health Division (2002), Population Health, Disease and Vaccination: web (Accessed 5 June 2003) (2003) Progression of meningococcal, web (Accessed 19 June 2003) Meningitis Research Foundation, (2002), About the Disease, Meningococcal Disease: web (Accessed 8 June 2003) (2003), What is Meningococcal Disease, web (Accessed 15 June 2003) (2001), Treatment of Meningococcal: web (Accessed 9 June 2003) (2001) web (Accessed 22 June 2003) NHS, (1999), The New Meningococcal C Vaccine, What kind of vaccine is it? : web (Accessed 20 June 2003) (2000), New Vaccine: web (Accessed 20 June 2003) Miller, B F and Keane, C B, (1990) Encyclopaedia and Dictionary of Medicine and Nursing, Meninges / Meningitis.

Toronto, Canada: WB Saunders Company. Pages 570-571 National Health and Medical Research Council, (2001) The Australian Immunisation Handbook 7th Edition, Meningococcal Infection. Sydney, Australia: Australian Government Publishing Services. Pages 164-169.