| Summary: | Introduction: Neisseria meningitidis is a bacterium that causes meningitis, a potentially fatal and irreversible disease. Current management of the infection is inefficient treatment based on antibiotics, and is influenced by several factors including the time taken to eliminate the causal agent, prevention of recurrent infections, and the difficulty of reaching the infection site and maintaining proper concentrations of the drug after crossing the blood–brain barrier (BBB); therefore, it is essential to develop new pharmacological alternatives capable of crossing the BBB and avoiding antibiotic resistance. To date, little research has been conducted in the development of organic and inorganic nanostructures to facilitate the delivery of antibiotics and other drugs to the target organ across the BBB, and for the diagnóstico of meningitis. Development: We conducted a literature search for nanotechnologies developed for use as direct treatment alternatives against N. meningitidis and to diagnose meningitis caused by this pathogen. We searched various databases and used search engines including NCBI-PubMed and Scopus. The information presented offers a critical overview of the use of nanostructures for antibacterial treatment and diagnóstico. Conclusions: We identified a limited number of nanotechnological advances for the diagnóstico and treatment of N. meningitidis infection.
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