N-Propionylated group B meningococcal polysaccharide glycoconjugate vaccine against group B meningococcal meningitis

Although group B Neisseria meningitidis is responsible for a significant amount of meningococcal meningitis, its capsular polysaccharide is precluded from the current vaccine because of its poor immunogenicity. This phenomenon is attributable to structural mimicry between the group B meningococcal polysaccharide (GBMP) and human tissue antigens. One simple way to avoid this problem is to use as a vaccine a synthetic N-propionylated (NPr) form of the GBMP, which when conjugated to tetanus toxoid (TT), induces, in mice, high titers of bactericidal antibodies against all group B meningococci.