Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a versatile pathogen.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is one of the most important causes of sexually transmitted disease. We do not fully understand the pathogenesis of infection with this organism, although recent improvements in immunological and molecular techniques have brought us closer to an answer. These techniques are now also being used to detect and identify N gonorrhoeae and to analyse the epidemiology of gonorrhoea.

Chromosomal resistance of gonococci to antibiotics.

Three hundred and twenty nine strains of non-penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (non-PPNG) isolated from men and women were tested for their susceptibility to a range of antibiotics, and were also auxotyped and serogrouped. Nearly 6% (18) of 312 strains tested were resistant to 1 mg/l or more penicillin (compared with 4.4% of PPNG strains isolated in 1981).

Development and evaluation of scheme for serotyping Gardnerella vaginalis.

Antibodies to Gardnerella vaginalis were raised in rabbits. Nine antisera that reacted with their immunising strains, but not with the remaining eight strains, were used to develop a serotyping scheme. A dot blotting technique was used, and complexes of antigen and antibody were visualised using anti-rabbit immunoglobulin linked to alkaline phosphatase.

The activity of the 4 quinolone Ro 23 6240 and the cephalosporins Ro 15 8074 and Ro 19 5247 against penicillin sensitive and resistant gonococci.

We have compared the in-vitro activity of the 4-quinolone Ro 23 6240 and the oral cephalosporins Ro 15 8074 and Ro 19 5247 with that of penicillin, spectinomycin, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and norfloxacin against 60 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. MICs 90 against penicillinase producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) and chromosomally-mediated resistant N.

New microbial and host factors in disseminated gonococcal infection: case report.

Disseminated gonococcal infection was diagnosed in an immunocompromised patient who presented with oliogoarthropathy and tenosynovitis. The gonococcal isolate was prototrophic, showed intermediate resistance to penicillin, and belonged to serogroup WII/III. An isolate from the patient's sexual contact showed similar characteristics.

Homology of cryptic plasmid of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with plasmids from Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria lactamica.

DNA probe hybridisation was used to examine the relation between the cryptic plasmid from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and plasmids carried by pharyngeal isolates of Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria lactamica. The complete gonococcal cryptic plasmid and HinfI derived digestion fragments subcloned into Escherichia coli were used to probe Southern blots of plasmid extracts. Homology was found to a plasmid of approximate molecular weight 4.

Penicillinase producing gonococci: a spent force?

Though the incidence of gonorrhoea caused by penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) strains at St Mary's Hospital rose rapidly from 1980 to reach 6.2% in 1982, it declined in 1983 (8.6%) and in 1984 (6.

The specificity of serum and local antibodies in female gonorrhoea.

Immunoblotting has been used to compare the specificity of serum and local IgG and IgA antibodies in 13 women with gonorrhoea and in 13 controls. The technique allowed the simultaneous detection of antibodies to the major outer membrane proteins I, II, and III, pili and lipopolysaccharide; antibodies to another antigen which is probably a 'carbohydrate' were also detected. Serum and local IgG and IgA were found to be produced to several antigens during gonococcal infections, although the quantity of antibody was greater in serum.

Evaluation of a direct immunofluorescence test for diagnosing gonorrhoea.

A new direct immunofluorescence reagent (Syva and Genetic Systems Inc) was evaluated for its ability to detect Neisseria gonorrhoeae in specimens from populations with a high prevalence of the infection. Gonorrhoea was diagnosed by culture in 45 of 105 (43%) urethral specimens from men and 17 of 90 (28%) urethral and 25 of 60 (42%) cervical specimens from women. In men the immunofluorescence test had a sensitivity of 84.

Testing sensitivity of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to spectinomycin.

A concentration of 16 mg/l spectinomycin incorporated in agar gave the best discrimination between Neisseria gonorrhoeae sensitive and resistant to spectinomycin. This method was compared with spectinomycin sensitivity testing with 25 micrograms or 100 micrograms discs. Both methods agreed fully for 197 spectinomycin sensitive and three spectinomycin resistant gonococci.

Treatment of gonorrhea with clavulanate-potentiated amoxicillin (Augmentin).

One hundred sixty-one patients with culture-proved Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection were treated with a single oral dose of amoxicillin trihydrate (3 g) and potassium clavulanate (Augmentin, 0.25 g). Of 153 patients infected with non-penicillinase-producing strains of N.

Carriage of Gardnerella vaginalis and anaerobes in semen.

Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated from 22 (38%) of 58 semen samples obtained from men attending an infertility clinic. Counts ranged from 1.2 X 10(3) to greater than 10(7) colony forming units (cfu)/ml.

Spectinomycin as initial treatment for gonorrhoea.

The prevalence of penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae at this hospital increased exponentially from less than 0.5% in 1978 to 6.5% of all isolates in 1982.

Plasmids in throat and genital isolates of meningococci.

Plasmids 1.6, 2.8, or greater than 40 megadaltons in size were found in one urethral and nine throat strains of meningococci.

A study of the susceptibility of three species of primate to vaginal colonization with Gardnerella vaginalis.

In an attempt to develop an animal model of Gardnerella-associated vaginitis, several strains of Gardnerella vaginalis were inoculated into the lower genital tract of female pig-tailed macaques, tamarins and chimpanzees. G. vaginalis was not recovered from either tamarins or chimpanzees, but was recovered from each of 1O pig-tailed macaques inoculated with either of two freshly isolated Gardnerella strains, colonization persisting for 11-39 days.

Vaginal colonization of pig-tailed macaques by Gardnerella vaginalis.

Ten pig-tailed macaques inoculated intravaginally with Gardnerella vaginalis organisms were colonized for 11-39 days. In contrast, 4 tamarins and 3 chimpanzees inoculated similarly failed to become colonized. Examination of Gram-stained vaginal smears obtained from infected pig-tailed macaques failed to demonstrate clue cells, a feature which is pathognomonic of non-specific vaginitis in humans.