The thesis entitled meningococcal disease by Tom Sprong presents studies concerning the pathophysiology of meningococcal disease. In short, the quantitative role of endotoxin or LPS in cytokine production and complement activation was studied; the mechanism of complement activation during meningococcal sepsis and ways to inhibit the complement dependent inflammatory response were studied; the course of the mediators vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) during meningococcal disease were studied; the role of mannose binding lectin in susceptibility to meningococcal disease was studied; and finally the relation of innate cytokine production capacity of whole blood to disease manifestation and severity was studied.

Contains fulltext : 65650_menidi.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

With a summary in Dutch. - Dissertation Radboud University of Nijmegen

301 p.