File:Meningococcal infection diagram.webp

English: Monogenic disorders underlying Neisseria meningitidis infection. Nm is transmitted via droplets and selectively colonises the human nasopharynx. In susceptible hosts, meningococci can invade and cross the nasopharyngeal mucosal epithelium to gain access to the blood stream. Once inside the bloodstream the meningococci grow in number and are disseminated throughout the host. Uncontrolled growth in the blood, leads to high titres of Nm and septicaemia. In other patients, there is less Nm replication in the blood, but meningococci breach the blood brain barrier (BBB), multiply uncontrollably in the cerebrospinal fluid and infect the meninges, leading to meningitis. The genes highlighted in red are monogenic disorders almost exclusively associated with IMD. Highlighted in orange, are monogenic disorders associated with bacterial infections and, though not exclusive to Nm infection, has been observed in cases of IMD. SPLUNC1, highlighted in yellow, has recently been demonstrated as a monogenic disorder associated with IMD though its pathogen exclusivity is unknown.