Oxford University scientists claim to have discovered the genes that transform harmless meningitis bugs into killers. This breakthrough is expected to boost development of a vaccine against the meningitis B strain of the disease responsible for 60 per cent of infections in Britain.
Although a successful vaccination programme has been introduced to combat meningitis C, there is no vaccine for the B strain. It is hoped that a vaccine against meningitis B will be ready for development by 2001.