Curr Opin Invest Dr
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Neisseria meningitidis causes severe, often fatal septicemia and meningitis. Polysaccharide vaccines that offer protection against infection with meningococcal serogroups A, C, Y and W-135 are effective in older children and adults, and have been widely used. New polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines against one or more of these serogroups are now in use or under accelerated development; however, a broadly protective vaccine against infection by serogroup B N meningitidis is not yet available. ⋯ In spite of these difficulties, promising approaches stemming from a better understanding of meningococcal pathogenesis and of the genetics of serogroup B N meningitidis continue to evolve. Progress toward an effective serogroup B vaccine, an important addition for meningococcal disease prevention, is the focus of this review. The epidemiology and pathogenesis of meningococcal disease are detailed, along with discussion of the challenges faced in the development of efficacious serogroup B vaccines.