Means for identifying neisseria meningitidis-specific genes

Abstract

The invention concerns an exhaustive method for detecting pathogenic bacteria genes, in particular Nm genes, expressing a desired phenotype, characterized in that it consists in: using a bank of mutants generated from given bacterial strain so that at least 70% of the non-essential genes, and in particular at least 80%, even more than 90%, are mutagenized by inserting a transposon in a reading phase; then contacting the mutants, either individually, or in groups, with an environment, such as a medium, an animal or cells, capable of interacting with the mutant bacteria expressing the desired phenotype; recovering, when groups are used, the bacteria which have not reacted with the desired phenotype; identifying the mutated genes of said bacteria and verifying whether they are involved in said phenotype. The invention is useful, in particular, as anti-pathogenicity targets, which consists in inhibiting Neisseria meningitidis growth in vivo in the serum, for developing antibiotics, for screening and manufacturing medicines designed to open the blood brain barrier to active principles, and for preparing vaccines.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.