Skip to main content
PMC home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1990 Dec;34(12):2445–2448. doi: 10.1128/aac.34.12.2445

Antimicrobial interference with bacterial mechanisms of pathogenicity: effect of sub-MIC azithromycin on gonococcal piliation and attachment to human epithelial cells.

G L Gorby 1, Z A McGee 1
PMCID: PMC172082  PMID: 1982402

Abstract

The effects of subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin (CP-62,993) on the piliation and attachment properties of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were examined. Subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin significantly reduced the percentage of gonococci that expressed assembled pili on their surfaces by decreasing pilin subunit synthesis and substantially decreased gonococcal adherence to human mucosal cells.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

2446Image
on p.2446
2447Image
on p.2447
2447Image
on p.2447

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bessen D., Gotschlich E. C. Interactions of gonococci with HeLa cells: attachment, detachment, replication, penetration, and the role of protein II. Infect Immun. 1986 Oct;54(1):154–160. doi: 10.1128/iai.54.1.154-160.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blake M. S., Johnston K. H., Russell-Jones G. J., Gotschlich E. C. A rapid, sensitive method for detection of alkaline phosphatase-conjugated anti-antibody on Western blots. Anal Biochem. 1984 Jan;136(1):175–179. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(84)90320-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Boethling R. S. Regulation of extracellular protease secretion in Pseudomonas maltophilia. J Bacteriol. 1975 Sep;123(3):954–961. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.3.954-961.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Craven G. R., Gavin R., Fanning T. The transfer RNA binding site of the 30 S ribosome and the site of tetracycline inhibition. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1969;34:129–137. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1969.034.01.019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Garcia-Bustos J. F., Dougherty T. J. Alterations in peptidoglycan of Neisseria gonorrhoeae induced by sub-MICs of beta-lactam antibiotics. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1987 Feb;31(2):178–182. doi: 10.1128/aac.31.2.178. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Haas R., Schwarz H., Meyer T. F. Release of soluble pilin antigen coupled with gene conversion in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Dec;84(24):9079–9083. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.24.9079. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lambden P. R., Robertson J. N., Watt P. J. Biological properties of two distinct pilus types produced by isogenic variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae P9. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jan;141(1):393–396. doi: 10.1128/jb.141.1.393-396.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McGee Z. A., Gross J., Dourmashkin R. R., Taylor-Robinson D. Nonpilar surface appendages of colony type 1 and colony type 4 gonococci. Infect Immun. 1976 Jul;14(1):266–270. doi: 10.1128/iai.14.1.266-270.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. McGee Z. A., Johnson A. P., Taylor-Robinson D. Pathogenic mechanisms of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: observations on damage to human fallopian tubes in organ culture by gonococci of colony type 1 or type 4. J Infect Dis. 1981 Mar;143(3):413–422. doi: 10.1093/infdis/143.3.413. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Meyer T. F., Billyard E., Haas R., Storzbach S., So M. Pilus genes of Neisseria gonorrheae: chromosomal organization and DNA sequence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Oct;81(19):6110–6114. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.19.6110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Retsema J., Girard A., Schelkly W., Manousos M., Anderson M., Bright G., Borovoy R., Brennan L., Mason R. Spectrum and mode of action of azithromycin (CP-62,993), a new 15-membered-ring macrolide with improved potency against gram-negative organisms. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1987 Dec;31(12):1939–1947. doi: 10.1128/aac.31.12.1939. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Robinson E. N., Jr, McGee Z. A., Clemens C. M. Probing the surface of bacteria: use of gold sphere immunological probes. Microb Pathog. 1987 Mar;2(3):159–169. doi: 10.1016/0882-4010(87)90018-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Robinson E. N., Jr, McGee Z. A., Kaplan J., Hammond M. E., Larson J. K., Buchanan T. M., Schoolnik G. K. Ultrastructural localization of specific gonococcal macromolecules with antibody-gold sphere immunological probes. Infect Immun. 1984 Nov;46(2):361–366. doi: 10.1128/iai.46.2.361-366.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shibl A. M. Effect of antibiotics on production of enzymes and toxins by microorganisms. Rev Infect Dis. 1983 Sep-Oct;5(5):865–875. doi: 10.1093/clinids/5.5.865. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Shibl A. M. Influence of subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on virulence of staphylococci. Rev Infect Dis. 1987 Jul-Aug;9(4):704–712. doi: 10.1093/clinids/9.4.704. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stephens D. S., Krebs J. W., McGee Z. A. Loss of pili and decreased attachment to human cells by Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae exposed to subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. Infect Immun. 1984 Nov;46(2):507–513. doi: 10.1128/iai.46.2.507-513.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stephens D. S., McGee Z. A. Attachment of Neisseria meningitidis to human mucosal surfaces: influence of pili and type of receptor cell. J Infect Dis. 1981 Apr;143(4):525–532. doi: 10.1093/infdis/143.4.525. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stinson M. W., Merrick J. M. Extracellular enzyme secretion by Pseudomonas lemoignei. J Bacteriol. 1974 Jul;119(1):152–161. doi: 10.1128/jb.119.1.152-161.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stromberg N., Deal C., Nyberg G., Normark S., So M., Karlsson K. A. Identification of carbohydrate structures that are possible receptors for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Jul;85(13):4902–4906. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.13.4902. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Swanson J. Surface-exposed protein antigens of the gonococcal outer membrane. Infect Immun. 1981 Dec;34(3):804–816. doi: 10.1128/iai.34.3.804-816.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Towbin H., Staehelin T., Gordon J. Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: procedure and some applications. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Sep;76(9):4350–4354. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.9.4350. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES