Gene detection and expression profiling of Neisseria meningitidis using NanoString nCounter platform

Detection of bacterial gene transcripts in low density mucosal samples is challenging. We evaluated the NanoString nCounter system for transcript detection in Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) cultures. The method was sensitive, reproducible (R2 = 0.99) and demonstrated changes in gene expression. Studying Nm transcripts from pharyngeal samples may be feasible using this approach.