Effect of mesoporous silica under Neisseria meningitidis transformation process: Environmental effects under meningococci transformation

Abstract

Background: This study aimed the use of mesoporous silica under the naturally transformable Neisseria meningitidis, an important pathogen implicated in the genetic horizontal transfer of DNA causing a escape of the principal vaccination measures worldwide by the capsular switching process. This study verified the effects of mesoporous silica under N. meningitidis transformation specifically under the capsular replacement.Methods: we used three different mesoporous silica particles to verify their action in N. meningitis transformation frequency.Results: we verified the increase in the capsular gene replacement of this bacterium with the three mesoporous silica nanoparticles.Conclusion: the mesouporous silica particles were capable of increasing the capsule replacement frequency in N. meningitidis. © 2011 Hollanda et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.