This article explores the bacteria that causes meningococcal meningitis, explaining how it attacks the human body and spreads among populations. It also highlights how public health officials use modern vaccines to stop localised outbreaks – such as a recent case at a UK university – and work toward global eradication.

Immunology & Infectious Disease
A Masterpiece of Bacterial Evolution – Neisseria meningitidis
Lucca Strack
Brazil
12 May 2026
Immunology & Infectious Disease