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A member asked:
What makes meningococcal so deadly and so quickly?
A doctor has provided 1 answer
Bad Bad Bad Bug: Neisseria meningitidis has 'virulence(invasion) factors' allowing it to stick on cells lining the nose & throat (pili & opscity proteins). It has a complex capsule that coats the organism & protects it from our immune system. Chemicals w/in the organism cause host cell walls to change & allow infectn. It makes a toxin (los) that makes our immune system go haywire w/sepsis & cardiovasc collapse.
Answered 12/10/2016
5.2k views
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