Neisseria inhabit mucosal surfaces. N. meningitidis . Also referred to as the meningococcus, N. meningitidis is responsible for meningitis. Neisseria are Gram-negative diplococci with their adjacent sides flattened.
Gonorrhea is a ly transmitted disease.
N. gonorrhoeae lacking fimbriae are avirulent. This protein is antigenic and is used as the basis of some serological tests. This causes loss of antibody activity. This is often a polymicrobic infection involving Bacteroides and other anaerobes. The virulence of N. meningitidis is associated with its antiphagocytic capsule.