Exeter College Fellow contributes to research explaining severity of Kent meningitis outbreak

Exeter College Professorial Fellow in Cellular Pathology and Medicine, Professor Christoph Tang and his research group have contributed to new research revealing why the strain of bacteria responsible for the severe meningitis B outbreak in Kent earlier this year was particularly dangerous. 

The research, led by scientists at the University of Oxford and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), analysed the DNA of the bacteria behind the outbreak, which affected 21 people in March 2026. Nine patients required intensive care and two died. 

Professor Tang’s group contributed to the work by identifying new genes acquired by the outbreak strain. The analysis found that the bacteria had picked up genetic material from other bacteria that can live harmlessly in the human throat. 

This process, known as horizontal gene transfer, allows bacteria to acquire new genetic characteristics without reproducing. In this case, the changes altered how the outbreak strain interacted with human cells, obtain iron from their host, and may also have affected how it was recognised by the immune system, helping to explain the unusual severity of the infections. 

The outbreak, linked to a nightclub in Canterbury, was unusual for the number and severity of cases occurring within a short period. Researchers say the findings demonstrate how rapidly meningococcal bacteria can change and underline the importance of genomic surveillance in understanding and responding to outbreaks. 

Professor Tang is based at Oxford’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, where his research focuses on bacterial pathogenesis and molecular approaches to disease prevention. He has also led research into the development of vaccines against meningitis B.