Neisseria meningitidis

Neisseria meningitidis is the bacteria that causes meningococcal disease. Around 1 in 10 people have these bacteria in the back of their nose and throat without getting ill. However, when the microbe invades other parts of the body, it causes meningococcal disease.
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an outbreak of meningitis in the northeastern Tshopo Province with a fatality ratio of 50 per cent. Neisseria meningitidis was detected in the test carried out by a Paris-based research institute. It is spread from one human to another through respiratory secretions. It infects only humans as there are no known animal reservoirs.