The Neisseriaceae are a family of Pseudomonadota, within the ''

Neisseriales The Neisseriaceae are a family of Pseudomonadota, within the ''Neisseriales'' order. While many organisms in the family are mammalian commensals or part of the normal Flora (microbiology), flora, the genus ''Neisseria'' includes two important hum ...

'' order. While many organisms in the family are mammalian

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...

s or part of the normal

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

, the genus ''

Neisseria ''Neisseria'' is a large genus of bacteria that colonize the mucosal surfaces of many animals. Of the 11 species that colonize humans, only two are pathogens, '' N. meningitidis'' and ''N. gonorrhoeae''. ''Neisseria'' species are Gram-negativ ...

'' includes two important human pathogens, specifically those responsible for

gonorrhea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with u ...

(caused by'' N. gonorrhoeae'') and many cases of meningitis ("meningococcal meningitis", caused by'' N. meningitidis''). As a group, the Neisseriaceae are strictly

aerobic Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen. Aerobic may also refer to * Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity * Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise * Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cel ...

and

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...

, occur mainly in pairs (

diplococci A diplococcus (plural diplococci) is a round bacterium (a coccus) that typically occurs in the form of two joined cells. Types Examples of gram-negative diplococci are '' Neisseria spp.'' and ''Moraxella catarrhalis.'' Examples of gram-posit ...

), and typically do not have flagella.

References

Bacteria of Medical Importance
in ''Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology''. * * Betaproteobacteria {{Betaproteobacteria-stub