Impact of MenB Vaccination on Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections: a comprehensive state-of-the-art review

ABSTRACT

Objective. N. gonorrhoeae is a human-restricted pathogen but, nowadays, no effective anti-gonococcal vaccine is available. Several studies showed that OMV-based MenB vaccines may provide a cross-protection against gonococcal infections so the aim of our study was to investigate, through a review of the literature, the state of art about the potential impact of meningococcal B vaccination on gonococcal infections.
Materials and Methods. In February 2021 we performed a search for original peer-reviewed papers in the electronic database PubMed (MEDLINE). The key search terms were “Meningitis B AND Gonorrhoea”, “Bexsero AND Gonorrhea”, “MenB vaccine AND gonorrhoea”, “Trumenba AND Gonorrhoea”. Studies that provided clear and sufficient data on the impact of MenB vaccination on gonorrhoea were included.
Results. Bibliographic research yielded 39 publications  but the overall analysis was conducted on 5 studies. Despite the limited number of included studies, and their  heterogeneity it was observed a reduced incidence of N. gonorrhoeae infections and the elicitation of antibody response.
Conclusions. Although MEN B vaccination could be taken in consideration as an interesting strategy to prevent N. gonorrhoeae infection, further studies are fundamental to establish a real and durable  vaccine effectiveness.