A TISSUE-CULTURE BILAYER MODEL TO STUDY THE PASSAGE OF NEISSERIA-MENINGITIDIS

A tissue culture bilayer system has been developed as a model to study the mechanisms of attachment and invasion involved in the pathogenesi s of Neisseria meningitidis. The model incorporates epithelial and end othelial cell layers separated by a microporous membrane and makes it possible to observe and quantify the passage of bacteria through the m ultiple layers and to study the mechanisms by which they make this pas sage. This model is adaptable to a wide variety of microbial pathogens and can be modified by substituting any physiologically relevant euca ryotic cells for the component layers. The system's makeup of cells of human origin and its reproducibility give it advantages over animal a nd primary organ culture models, while the added complexity of multipl e layers allowing cell-to-cell communication makes it a more realistic human tissue model than standard cell monolayers.