Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1981 Mar;31(3):965–970. doi: 10.1128/iai.31.3.965-970.1981

Comparative virulence of opacity variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain P9.

M Virji, J S Everson
PMCID: PMC351412  PMID: 6785243

Abstract

The invasive properties of nine variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain P9 known to vary in their surface composition have been investigated. Relative virulence was evaluated by their cytotoxic effect on Chang epithelial cell monolayers. Piliated variants P9-2 (with alpha pili) and P9-20 (with beta pili plus protein II) showed increased ability to kill the target cells compared with the prototype P9-1 (lacking pili and additional outer membrane proteins). Two nonpiliated variants, P9-11 (with proteins IIa and IId) and P9-19 (with proteins II and IIc), were also relatively more virulent compared with P9-1. Enhanced attachment was exhibited by both piliated and some nonpiliated variants: beta-piliated P9-20 (with protein II; molecular weight, 29,000) and nonpiliated P9-16 (with protein IIb; molecular weight, 28,000) were the most effective in adherence to the target monolayers.

Full text

PDF
965

Selected References

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

  1. Heckels J. E., Blackett B., Everson J. S., Ward M. E. The influence of surface charge on the attachment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to human cells. J Gen Microbiol. 1976 Oct;96(2):359–364. doi: 10.1099/00221287-96-2-359. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Jephcott A. E., Reyn A., Birch-Andersen A. Neisseria gonorrhoeae 3. Demonstration of presumed appendages to cells from different colony types. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand B Microbiol Immunol. 1971;79(3):437–439. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1971.tb00086.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. KELLOGG D. S., Jr, PEACOCK W. L., Jr, DEACON W. E., BROWN L., PIRKLE D. I. NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE. I. VIRULENCE GENETICALLY LINKED TO CLONAL VARIATION. J Bacteriol. 1963 Jun;85:1274–1279. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.6.1274-1279.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Lambden P. R., Heckels J. E., James L. T., Watt P. J. Variations in surface protein composition associated with virulence properties in opacity types of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Gen Microbiol. 1979 Oct;114(2):305–312. doi: 10.1099/00221287-114-2-305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. 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]
  6. More R., Yron I., Sasson S. B., Weiss D. W. In vitro studies on cell-mediated cytotoxicity by means of a terminal labeling technique. Cell Immunol. 1975 Feb;15(2):382–391. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(75)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Punsalang A. P., Jr, Sawyer W. D. Role of pili in the virulence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun. 1973 Aug;8(2):255–263. doi: 10.1128/iai.8.2.255-263.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Swanson J., Kraus S. J., Gotschlich E. C. Studies on gonococcus infection. I. Pili and zones of adhesion: their relation to gonococcal growth patterns. J Exp Med. 1971 Oct 1;134(4):886–906. doi: 10.1084/jem.134.4.886. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Swanson J. Studies on gonococcus infection. IV. Pili: their role in attachment of gonococci to tissue culture cells. J Exp Med. 1973 Mar 1;137(3):571–589. doi: 10.1084/jem.137.3.571. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Swanson J. Studies on gonococcus infection. XII. Colony color and opacity varienats of gonococci. Infect Immun. 1978 Jan;19(1):320–331. doi: 10.1128/iai.19.1.320-331.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Taylor-Robinson D., Whytock S., Green C. J., Carney F. E., Jr Effect of Neisseria gonorrhoeae on human and rabbit oviducts. Br J Vener Dis. 1974 Aug;50(4):279–288. doi: 10.1136/sti.50.4.279. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ward M. E., Watt P. J., Glynn A. A. Gonococci in urethral exudates possess a virulence factor lost on subculture. Nature. 1970 Jul 25;227(5256):382–384. doi: 10.1038/227382a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ward M. E., Watt P. J., Robertson J. N. The human fallopian tube: a laboratory model for gonococcal infection. J Infect Dis. 1974 Jun;129(6):650–659. doi: 10.1093/infdis/129.6.650. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES