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Bettoni S, Maziarz K, Stone MRL, Blaskovich MAT, Potempa J, Bazzo ML, Unemo M, Ram S, Blom AM. Serum Complement Activation by C4BP-IgM Fusion Protein Can Restore Susceptibility to Antibiotics in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Front Immunol 2021; 12:726801. [PMID: 34539665 PMCID: PMC8440848 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.726801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the etiological agent of gonorrhea, the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Reproductive sequelae of gonorrhea include infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. Most antibiotics currently in clinical use have been rendered ineffective due to the rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance among gonococci. The developmental pipeline of new antibiotics is sparse and novel therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Previously, we utilized the ability of N. gonorrhoeae to bind the complement inhibitor C4b-binding protein (C4BP) to evade killing by human complement to design a chimeric protein that linked the two N-terminal gonococcal binding domains of C4BP with the Fc domain of IgM. The resulting molecule, C4BP-IgM, enhanced complement-mediated killing of gonococci. Here we show that C4BP-IgM induced membrane perturbation through complement deposition and membrane attack complex pore insertion facilitates the access of antibiotics to their intracellular targets. Consequently, bacteria become more susceptible to killing by antibiotics. Remarkably, C4BP-IgM restored susceptibility to azithromycin of two azithromycin-resistant clinical gonococcal strains because of overexpression of the MtrC-MtrD-MtrE efflux pump. Our data show that complement activation can potentiate activity of antibiotics and suggest a role for C4BP-IgM as an adjuvant for antibiotic treatment of drug-resistant gonorrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Bettoni
- Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Karolina Maziarz
- Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - M Rhia L Stone
- Centre for Superbug Solutions, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark A T Blaskovich
- Centre for Superbug Solutions, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jan Potempa
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Oral Immunity and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Maria Luiza Bazzo
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Serology Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Magnus Unemo
- World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Sanjay Ram
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Anna M. Blom
- Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
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Oeschger TM, Erickson DC. Visible colorimetric growth indicators of Neisseria gonorrhoeae for low-cost diagnostic applications. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252961. [PMID: 34138928 PMCID: PMC8211239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
N. gonorrhoeae is one of the most pressing antibiotic resistant threats of our time and low-cost diagnostics that can easily identify antibiotic resistance are desperately needed. However, N. gonorrhoeae responds so uniquely to growth conditions that it cannot be assumed gonorrhea will respond to common microbiological methods used for other pathogenic organisms. In this paper, we explore visual colorimetric indicators of N. gonorrhoeae growth that can be seen without a microscope or spectrophotometer. We evaluate growth media, pH indicators, resazurin-based dyes, and tetrazolium-based dyes for their use in simple colorimetric system. Overall, we identified Graver Wade media as the best at supporting robust gonococcal growth while also providing the least background when analyzing results of colorimetric tests. XTT, a tetrazolium-based dye, proved to show to brightest color change over time and not negatively impact the natural growth of N. gonorrhoeae. However, other dyes including PrestoBlue, MTT, and NBT are less expensive than XTT and work well when added after bacterial growth has already occurred. By identifying the specific use cases of these dyes, this research lays the groundwork for future development of a color-based antibiotic susceptibility low-cost test for N. gonorrhoeae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Mae Oeschger
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - David Carl Erickson
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Division of Nutritional Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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3
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Arumugam A, Markham C, Aykar SS, Van Der Pol B, Dixon P, Wu M, Wong S. PrintrLab incubator: A portable and low-cost CO2 incubator based on an open-source 3D printer architecture. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251812. [PMID: 34077426 PMCID: PMC8172042 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth in open-source hardware designs combined with the decreasing cost of high-quality 3D printers have supported a resurgence of in-house custom lab equipment development. Herein, we describe a low-cost (< $400), open-source CO2 incubator. The system is comprised of a Raspberry Pi computer connected to a 3D printer controller board that has controls for a CO2 sensor, solenoid valve, heater, and thermistors. CO2 is supplied through the sublimation of dry ice stored inside a thermos to create a sustained 5% CO2 supply. The unit is controlled via G-Code commands sent by the Raspberry Pi to the controller board. In addition, we built a custom software application for remote control and used the open-source Grafana dashboard for remote monitoring. Our data show that we can maintain consistent CO2 and temperature levels for over three days without manual interruption. The results from our culture plates and real-time PCR indicate that our incubator performed equally well when compared to a much more expensive commercial CO2 incubator. We have also demonstrated that the antibiotic susceptibility assay can be performed in this low-cost CO2 incubator. Our work also indicates that the system can be connected to incubator chambers of various chamber volumes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cole Markham
- AI Biosciences, Inc., College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | | | - Barbara Van Der Pol
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Paula Dixon
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Michelle Wu
- AI Biosciences, Inc., College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Season Wong
- AI Biosciences, Inc., College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Zhou K, Chen SC, Yang F, van der Veen S, Yin YP. Impact of the gonococcal FC428 penA allele 60.001 on ceftriaxone resistance and biological fitness. Emerg Microbes Infect 2020; 9:1219-1229. [PMID: 32438866 PMCID: PMC7448936 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1773325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Global dissemination of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae ceftriaxone-resistant FC428 clone jeopardizes the currently recommended ceftriaxone-based first-line therapies. Ceftriaxone resistance in the FC428 clone has been associated with the presence of its mosaic penA allele 60.001. Here we investigated the contribution penA allele 60.001 to ceftriaxone resistance and its impact on biological fitness. Gonococcal isolates expressing penA allele 60.001 and mosaic penA allele 10.001, which is widespread in the Asia-Pacific region and associated with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime, were genetic engineered to exchange their penA alleles. Subsequent antimicrobial susceptibility analyses showed that mutants containing penA 60.001 displayed 8- to 16-fold higher ceftriaxone and cefixime minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) compared with otherwise isogenic mutants containing penA 10.001. Further analysis of biological fitness showed that in vitro liquid growth of single strains and in the competition was identical between the isogenic penA allele exchange mutants. However, in the presence of high concentrations of palmitic acid or lithocholic acid, the penA 60.001-containing mutants grew better than the isogenic penA 10.001-containing mutants when grown as single strains. In contrast, the penA 10.001 mutants outcompeted the penA 60.001 mutants when grown in competition at slightly lower palmitic acid or lithocholic acid concentrations. Finally, the penA 60.001 mutants were outcompeted by their penA 10.001 counterparts for in vivo colonization and survival in a mouse vaginal tract infection model. In conclusion, penA allele 60.001 is essential for ceftriaxone resistance of the FC428 clone, while its impact on biological fitness is dependent on the specific growth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Zhou
- Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
- National Center for STD Control, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shao-Chun Chen
- Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
- National Center for STD Control, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Stijn van der Veen
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yue-Ping Yin
- Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
- National Center for STD Control, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
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Mallik A, Das N, Mukherjee S, Datta S. A systematic review and meta-analysis of different diagnostic procedures to detect gonococcus infection in resource-limited scenario. Indian J Med Microbiol 2020; 38:299-306. [PMID: 33154239 DOI: 10.4103/ijmm.ijmm_20_312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Context Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative diplococcus, an obligate human pathogen, and the etiologic agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), gonorrhoea. culture is the standard procedure for diagnosis, which may be supported by nucleic acid tests and microscopy. Aims To determine the best possible method of diagnosis for Gonococcus infection in resource-limited settings. Settings and Design The meta-analyses were designed to determine the difference in diagnosis between Culture and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and also between the different Amplification Tests and widely available Roche COBAS AMPLICOR test. Subjects and Methods Databases searched were Pubmed, Medline, Google Scholar and Cochrane reviews. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals was estimated for the dichotomous outcomes. The random-effect model was applied for all the studies in the analysis. Statistical Analysis Used The meta-analysis was computed in RevMan Version 5.3, Copenhagen, Denmark. Results In the first analysis, NAATs significantly improved the chances of detection in comparison to the standard culture and final RR was 1.24 (1.05-2.51), which put the diamond on the right of no-effect axis, indicating more positives by NAATs. In the second analysis, AMPLICOR had the more positive results, which may have indicated better detection rate, as well as less specificity and final RR was 0.809 (0.737-0.888), which put the diamond on the left of the non-effect axis, indicating more positives by AMPLICOR. Conclusions In a resource-limited scenario like India, the syndromic management of STIs are considered to be the norm. A positive diagnosis is only given if the tests are confirmed by Culture, as it is still considered to be the gold standard of diagnosis. However, in many cases, due to suboptimal transportation and lack of proper handling, culture in unable to grow even if the patient is infected. In such cases, Nucleic Acid Tests should be able to detect an infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aromita Mallik
- Department of Biotechnology, Amity University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Nibedita Das
- Regional STI Laboratory, Institute of Serology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Swati Mukherjee
- Regional STI Laboratory, Institute of Serology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Shibani Datta
- Department of Health Promotion and Education, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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Savela ES, Schoepp NG, Cooper MM, Rolando JC, Klausner JD, Soge OO, Ismagilov RF. Surfactant-enhanced DNA accessibility to nuclease accelerates phenotypic β-lactam antibiotic susceptibility testing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000651. [PMID: 32191696 PMCID: PMC7081974 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) is critically needed to counter widespread antibiotic resistance. Detection of nucleic acids in genotypic AST can be rapid, but it has not been successful for β-lactams (the largest antibiotic class used to treat Ng). Rapid phenotypic AST for Ng is challenged by the pathogen's slow doubling time and the lack of methods to quickly quantify the pathogen's response to β-lactams. Here, we asked two questions: (1) Is it possible to use nucleic acid quantification to measure the β-lactam susceptibility phenotype of Ng very rapidly, using antibiotic-exposure times much shorter than the 1- to 2-h doubling time of Ng? (2) Would such short-term antibiotic exposures predict the antibiotic resistance profile of Ng measured by plate growth assays over multiple days? To answer these questions, we devised an innovative approach for performing a rapid phenotypic AST that measures DNA accessibility to exogenous nucleases after exposure to β-lactams (termed nuclease-accessibility AST [nuc-aAST]). We showed that DNA in antibiotic-susceptible cells has increased accessibility upon exposure to β-lactams and that a judiciously chosen surfactant permeabilized the outer membrane and enhanced this effect. We tested penicillin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone and found good agreement between the results of the nuc-aAST after 15-30 min of antibiotic exposure and the results of the gold-standard culture-based AST measured over days. These results provide a new pathway toward developing a critically needed phenotypic AST for Ng and additional global-health threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily S. Savela
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Nathan G. Schoepp
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Matthew M. Cooper
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Justin C. Rolando
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey D. Klausner
- David Geffen School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Olusegun O. Soge
- Neisseria Reference Laboratory, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rustem F. Ismagilov
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
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7
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Chen S, Connolly KL, Rouquette-Loughlin C, D'Andrea A, Jerse AE, Shafer WM. Could Dampening Expression of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae mtrCDE-Encoded Efflux Pump Be a Strategy To Preserve Currently or Resurrect Formerly Used Antibiotics To Treat Gonorrhea? mBio 2019; 10:e01576-19. [PMID: 31409679 PMCID: PMC6692510 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01576-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to every antibiotic introduced for treatment of gonorrhea since 1938, and concern now exists that gonorrheal infections may become refractory to all available antibiotics approved for therapy. The current recommended dual antibiotic treatment regimen of ceftriaxone (CRO) and azithromycin (AZM) is threatened with the emergence of gonococcal strains displaying resistance to one or both of these antibiotics. Non-beta-lactamase resistance to penicillin and third-generation cephalosporins, as well as low-level AZM resistance expressed by gonococci, requires overexpression of the mtrCDE-encoded efflux pump, which in wild-type (WT) strains is subject to transcriptional repression by MtrR. Since earlier studies showed that loss of MtrCDE renders gonococci hypersusceptible to beta-lactams and macrolides, we hypothesized that transcriptional dampening of mtrCDE would render an otherwise resistant strain susceptible to these antibiotics as assessed by antibiotic susceptibility testing and during experimental infection. In order to test this hypothesis, we ectopically expressed a WT copy of the mtrR gene, which encodes the repressor of the mtrCDE efflux pump operon, in N. gonorrhoeae strain H041, the first reported gonococcal strain to cause a third-generation-cephalosporin-resistant infection. We now report that MtrR production can repress the expression of mtrCDE, increase antimicrobial susceptibility in vitro, and enhance beta-lactam efficacy in eliminating gonococci as assessed in a female mouse model of lower genital tract infection. We propose that strategies that target the MtrCDE efflux pump should be considered to counteract the increasing problem of antibiotic-resistant gonococci.IMPORTANCE The emergence of gonococcal strains resistant to past or currently used antibiotics is a global public health concern, given the estimated 78 million infections that occur annually. The dearth of new antibiotics to treat gonorrhea demands that alternative curative strategies be considered to counteract antibiotic resistance expressed by gonococci. Herein, we show that decreased expression of a drug efflux pump that participates in gonococcal resistance to antibiotics can increase gonococcal susceptibility to beta-lactams and macrolides under laboratory conditions, as well as improve antibiotic-mediated clearance of gonococci from the genital tract of experimentally infected female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaochun Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, USA
- National Center for STD Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China
| | - Kristie L Connolly
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Corinne Rouquette-Loughlin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, USA
| | - Alexander D'Andrea
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, USA
| | - Ann E Jerse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - William M Shafer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, USA
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Wang Y, Ferrer-Espada R, Baglo Y, Goh XS, Held KD, Grad YH, Gu Y, Gelfand JA, Dai T. Photoinactivation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: A Paradigm-Changing Approach for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Gonococcal Infection. J Infect Dis 2019; 220:873-881. [PMID: 30629196 PMCID: PMC6667797 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major issue of public health, and there is a critical need for the development of new antigonococcal strategies. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of antimicrobial blue light (aBL; wavelength, 405 nm), an innovative nonpharmacological approach, for the inactivation of N. gonorrhoeae. Our findings indicated that aBL preferentially inactivated N. gonorrhoeae, including antibiotic-resistant strains, over human vaginal epithelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, no aBL-induced genotoxicity to the vaginal epithelial cells was observed at the radiant exposure used to inactivate N. gonorrhoeae. aBL also effectively inactivated N. gonorrhoeae that had attached to and invaded into the vaginal epithelial cells in their cocultures. No gonococcal resistance to aBL developed after 15 successive cycles of inactivation induced by subtherapeutic exposure to aBL. Endogenous aBL-activatable photosensitizing porphyrins in N. gonorrhoeae were identified and quantified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography, with coproporphyrin being the most abundant species in all N. gonorrhoeae strains studied. Singlet oxygen was involved in aBL inactivation of N. gonorrhoeae. Together, these findings show that aBL represents a potential potent treatment for antibiotic-resistant gonococcal infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Laser Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing
| | - Raquel Ferrer-Espada
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yan Baglo
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Xueping S Goh
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kathryn D Held
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yonatan H Grad
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ying Gu
- Department of Laser Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing
| | - Jeffrey A Gelfand
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tianhong Dai
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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9
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van der Veer C, Hertzberger RY, Bruisten SM, Tytgat HLP, Swanenburg J, de Kat Angelino-Bart A, Schuren F, Molenaar D, Reid G, de Vries H, Kort R. Comparative genomics of human Lactobacillus crispatus isolates reveals genes for glycosylation and glycogen degradation: implications for in vivo dominance of the vaginal microbiota. Microbiome 2019; 7:49. [PMID: 30925932 PMCID: PMC6441167 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0667-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A vaginal microbiota dominated by lactobacilli (particularly Lactobacillus crispatus) is associated with vaginal health, whereas a vaginal microbiota not dominated by lactobacilli is considered dysbiotic. Here we investigated whether L. crispatus strains isolated from the vaginal tract of women with Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota (LVM) are pheno- or genotypically distinct from L. crispatus strains isolated from vaginal samples with dysbiotic vaginal microbiota (DVM). RESULTS We studied 33 L. crispatus strains (n = 16 from LVM; n = 17 from DVM). Comparison of these two groups of strains showed that, although strain differences existed, both groups degraded various carbohydrates, produced similar amounts of organic acids, inhibited Neisseria gonorrhoeae growth, and did not produce biofilms. Comparative genomics analyses of 28 strains (n = 12 LVM; n = 16 DVM) revealed a novel, 3-fragmented glycosyltransferase gene that was more prevalent among strains isolated from DVM. Most L. crispatus strains showed growth on glycogen-supplemented growth media. Strains that showed less-efficient (n = 6) or no (n = 1) growth on glycogen all carried N-terminal deletions (respectively, 29 and 37 amino acid deletions) in a putative pullulanase type I protein. DISCUSSION L. crispatus strains isolated from LVM were not phenotypically distinct from L. crispatus strains isolated from DVM; however, the finding that the latter were more likely to carry a 3-fragmented glycosyltransferase gene may indicate a role for cell surface glycoconjugates, which may shape vaginal microbiota-host interactions. Furthermore, the observation that variation in the pullulanase type I gene is associated with growth on glycogen discourages previous claims that L. crispatus cannot directly utilize glycogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte van der Veer
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service, GGD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rosanne Y Hertzberger
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, O|2 Lab Building, VU University, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvia M Bruisten
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service, GGD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jorne Swanenburg
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, O|2 Lab Building, VU University, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Microbiology and Systems Biology, Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Alie de Kat Angelino-Bart
- Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Microbiology and Systems Biology, Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Schuren
- Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Microbiology and Systems Biology, Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Douwe Molenaar
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, O|2 Lab Building, VU University, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gregor Reid
- Canadian R&D Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Canada
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, and Surgery, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Henry de Vries
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service, GGD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Remco Kort
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, O|2 Lab Building, VU University, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Microbiology and Systems Biology, Zeist, The Netherlands.
- ARTIS-Micropia, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Zöllner R, Cronenberg T, Kouzel N, Welker A, Koomey M, Maier B. Type IV Pilin Post-Translational Modifications Modulate Material Properties of Bacterial Colonies. Biophys J 2019; 116:938-947. [PMID: 30739725 PMCID: PMC6400827 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial type 4 pili (T4P) are extracellular polymers that initiate the formation of microcolonies and biofilms. T4P continuously elongate and retract. These pilus dynamics crucially affect the local order, shape, and fluidity of microcolonies. The major pilin subunit of the T4P bears multiple post-translational modifications. By interfering with different steps of the pilin glycosylation and phosphoform modification pathways, we investigated the effect of pilin post-translational modification on the shape and dynamics of microcolonies formed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Deleting the phosphotransferase responsible for phosphoethanolamine modification at residue serine 68 inhibits shape relaxations of microcolonies after perturbation and causes bacteria carrying the phosphoform modification to segregate to the surface of mixed colonies. We relate these mesoscopic phenotypes to increased attractive forces generated by T4P between cells. Moreover, by deleting genes responsible for the pilin glycan structure, we show that the number of saccharides attached at residue serine 63 affects the ratio between surface tension and viscosity and cause sorting between bacteria carrying different pilin glycoforms. We conclude that different pilin post-translational modifications moderately affect the attractive forces between bacteria but have severe effects on the material properties of microcolonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Zöllner
- Institute for Biological Physics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Tom Cronenberg
- Institute for Biological Physics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nadzeya Kouzel
- Institute for Biological Physics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Anton Welker
- Institute for Biological Physics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Koomey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Integrative Microbial Evolution, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Berenike Maier
- Institute for Biological Physics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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11
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Lenz JD, Shirk KA, Jolicoeur A, Dillard JP. Selective Inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by a Dithiazoline in Mixed Infections with Lactobacillus gasseri. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:e00826-18. [PMID: 30275084 PMCID: PMC6256793 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00826-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae has progressively developed resistance to antibiotic monotherapies, and recent failures of dual-drug therapy have heightened concerns that strains resistant to all available antibiotics will begin circulating globally. Targeting bacterial cell wall assembly has historically been effective at treating infections with N. gonorrhoeae, but as the effectiveness of β-lactams (including cephalosporins) is challenged by increasing resistance, research has expanded into compounds that target the numerous other enzymes with roles in peptidoglycan metabolism. One example is the dithiazoline compound JNJ-853346 (DTZ), which inhibits the activity of an Escherichia coli serine protease l,d-carboxypeptidase (LdcA). Recently, the characterization of an LdcA homolog in N. gonorrhoeae revealed localization and activity differences from the characterized E. coli LdcA, prompting us to explore the effectiveness of DTZ against N. gonorrhoeae We found that DTZ is effective at inhibiting N. gonorrhoeae in all growth phases, unlike the specific stationary-phase inhibition seen in E. coli Surprisingly, DTZ does not inhibit gonococcal LdcA enzyme activity, and DTZ sensitivity is not significantly decreased in ldcA mutants. While effective against numerous N. gonorrhoeae strains, including recent multidrug-resistant isolates, DTZ is much less effective at inhibiting growth of the commensal species Lactobacillus gasseri DTZ treatment during coinfections of epithelial cells resulted in significant lowering of gonococcal burden and interleukin-8 secretion without significantly impacting recovery of viable L. gasseri This selective toxicity presents a possible pathway for the use of DTZ as an effective antigonococcal agent at concentrations that do not impact vaginal commensals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Lenz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Kristina A Shirk
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Adrienne Jolicoeur
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Joseph P Dillard
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Vallely LM, Egli-Gany D, Pomat W, Homer CS, Guy R, Wand H, Silver B, Rumbold AR, Kaldor JM, Low N, Vallely AJ. Adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes associated with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, M. hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and U. parvum: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ Open 2018; 8:e024175. [PMID: 30498048 PMCID: PMC6278811 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Several bacterial sexually transmitted and genital mycoplasma infections during pregnancy have been associated with poor pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. Comprehensive and systematic information about associations between sexually transmitted infections (STI) and genital infections in pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes is needed to improve understanding about the evidence for causal associations between these infections and adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Our primary objective is to systematically review the literature about associations between: (1) Neisseria gonorrhoeae in pregnancy and preterm birth; (2) Mycoplasma genitalium in pregnancy and preterm birth; (3) M. hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and/or U. parvum in pregnancy and preterm birth. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We will undertake a systematic search of Medline, Excerpta Medica database and the Cochrane Library and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Following an initial screening of titles by one reviewer, abstracts will be independently assessed by two reviewers before screening of full-text articles. To exclude a manuscript, both reviewers need to agree on the decision. Any discrepancies will be resolved by discussion, or the adjudication of a third reviewer. Studies will be included if they report testing for one or more of N. gonorrhoeae, M. genitalium, M. hominis, U. urealyticum and/or U. parvum during pregnancy and report pregnancy and/or birth outcomes. In this review, the primary outcome is preterm birth. Secondary outcomes are premature rupture of membranes, low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, neonatal mortality and ophthalmia neonatorum. We will use standard definitions, or definitions reported by study authors. We will examine associations between exposure and outcome in forest plots, using the I2 statistic to examine between study heterogeneity. Where appropriate, we will use meta-analysis to combine results of individual studies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION This systematic review of published literature does not require ethical committee approval. Results of this review will be published in a peer reviewed, open access journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42016050962.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Vallely
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dianne Egli-Gany
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - William Pomat
- Director, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
| | - Caroline Se Homer
- Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Co-Program Director Maternal and Child Health, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rebecca Guy
- Surveillance and Evaluation Research, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Handan Wand
- Biostatistics and Databases program, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bronwyn Silver
- Public Health Division, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Alice Springs, Australia
| | - Alice R Rumbold
- Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - John M Kaldor
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicola Low
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew J Vallely
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
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Kirkcaldy RD, Bartoces MG, Soge OO, Riedel S, Kubin G, Del Rio C, Papp JR, Hook EW, Hicks LA. Antimicrobial Drug Prescription and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Susceptibility, United States, 2005-2013. Emerg Infect Dis 2018; 23:1657-1663. [PMID: 28930001 PMCID: PMC5621530 DOI: 10.3201/eid2310.170488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated whether outpatient antimicrobial drug prescribing is associated with Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial drug susceptibility in the United States. Using susceptibility data from the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project during 2005–2013 and QuintilesIMS data on outpatient cephalosporin, macrolide, and fluoroquinolone prescribing, we constructed multivariable linear mixed models for each antimicrobial agent with 1-year lagged annual prescribing per 1,000 persons as the exposure and geometric mean MIC as the outcome of interest. Multivariable models did not demonstrate associations between antimicrobial drug prescribing and N. gonorrhoeae susceptibility for any of the studied antimicrobial drugs during 2005–2013. Elucidation of epidemiologic factors contributing to resistance, including further investigation of the potential role of antimicrobial drug use, is needed.
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Vallely LM, Toliman P, Ryan C, Rai G, Wapling J, Gabuzzi J, Allen J, Opa C, Munnull G, Kaima P, Kombuk B, Kumbia A, Kombati Z, Law G, Kelly-Hanku A, Wand H, Siba PM, Mola GDL, Kaldor JM, Vallely AJ. Performance of syndromic management for the detection and treatment of genital Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis among women attending antenatal, well woman and sexual health clinics in Papua New Guinea: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e018630. [PMID: 29288183 PMCID: PMC5778337 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Papua New Guinea (PNG) has among the highest estimated prevalences of genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) of any country in the Asia-Pacific region. Diagnosis and treatment of these infections have relied on the WHO-endorsed syndromic management strategy that uses clinical presentation without laboratory confirmation to make treatment decisions. We evaluated the performance of this strategy in clinical settings in PNG. DESIGN Women attending antenatal (ANC), well woman (WWC) and sexual health (SHC) clinics in four provinces were invited to participate, completed a face-to-face interview and clinical examination, and provided genital specimens for laboratory testing. We estimated the performance characteristics of syndromic diagnoses against combined laboratory diagnoses. RESULTS 1764 women were enrolled (ANC=765; WWC=614; SHC=385). The prevalences of CT, NG and TV were highest among women attending ANC and SHC. Among antenatal women, syndromic diagnosis of sexually transmitted infection had low sensitivity (9%-21%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (7%-37%), but high specificity (76%-89%) and moderate negative predictive value (NPV) (55%-86%) for the combined endpoint of laboratory-confirmed CT, NG or TV. Among women attending WWC and SHC, 'vaginal discharge syndrome' had moderate to high sensitivity (72%-78%) and NPV (62%-94%), but low specificity (26%-33%) and PPV (8%-38%). 'Lower abdominal pain syndrome' had low sensitivity (26%-41%) and PPV (8%-23%) but moderate specificity (66%-68%) and high NPV (74%-93%) among women attending WWC, and moderate-high sensitivity (67%-79%) and NPV (62%-86%) but low specificity (26%-28%) and PPV (14%-33%) among SHC attendees. CONCLUSION The performance of syndromic management for the detection and treatment of genital chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas was poor among women in different clinical settings in PNG. New diagnostic strategies are needed to control these infections and to prevent their adverse health outcomes in PNG and other high-burden countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Vallely
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pamela Toliman
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Claire Ryan
- The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Glennis Rai
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - Johanna Wapling
- The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Josephine Gabuzzi
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - Joyce Allen
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - Christine Opa
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - Gloria Munnull
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - Petronia Kaima
- Tininga clinic, Mt Hagen General Hospital, Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea
| | - Benny Kombuk
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mt Hagen General Hospital, Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea
| | - Antonia Kumbia
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Eastern Highlands Provincial Hospital, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Zure Kombati
- Department of Pathology, Mt Hagen General Hospital, Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea
| | - Greg Law
- Sexual Health and Disease Control Branch, National Department of Health, Poert Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Angela Kelly-Hanku
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - Handan Wand
- Biostatistics and Database Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter M Siba
- Former Director, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Glen D L Mola
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Boroko, Papua New Guinea
| | - John M Kaldor
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew J Vallely
- Public Health Interventions Research Group, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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15
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Geremew RA, Agizie BM, Bashaw AA, Seid ME, Yeshanew AG. Prevalence of Selected Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and Associated Factors among Symptomatic Patients Attending Gondar Town Hospitals and Health Centers. Ethiop J Health Sci 2017; 27:589-600. [PMID: 29487468 PMCID: PMC5811938 DOI: 10.4314/ejhs.v27i6.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexually transmitted infection (STI) is a major global cause of acute illness, infertility, long-term disability and death, with serious medical and psychological consequences to millions of men, women and infants. Moreover, in Ethiopia, epidemiological studies on STI among STI clinic clients are limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of sexually transmitted infection (STI). METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted between April and August 2014 among STI clinic clients in Gondar Town hospitals and health centers. One hundred twenty study participants who fulfill the criteria were included. Different laboratory methods and techniques were applied to identify the possible microorganisms. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for STI and P values < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS The overall laboratory test confirmed that STIs prevalence was 74.1% with 32.5% being Candida spp., 30% T. palladium, 20.8% N. gonorrhoeae and 14.2% T. vaginalis. Two or more organisms were isolated in 20% of the study subjects. Risk factors for STI had knowledge about STI and alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION The prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae, T. pallidum, T. vaginalis, and Candida spp. in the study area was high. It needs health education programs, promotes condom utilization and more comprehensive community based STI studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozina Ambachew Geremew
- Department of Microbiology, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Beyene Moges Agizie
- School of Biomedical and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Abate Assefa Bashaw
- School of Biomedical and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Mengistu Endris Seid
- School of Biomedical and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Addisu Gize Yeshanew
- Department of Microbiology, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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McConnell J. ASM Microbe 2017. Lancet Infect Dis 2017; 17:699. [PMID: 28737492 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(17)30351-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
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17
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Sonkar SC, Wasnik K, Kumar A, Sharma V, Mittal P, Mishra PK, Bharadwaj M, Saluja D. Evaluating the utility of syndromic case management for three sexually transmitted infections in women visiting hospitals in Delhi, India. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1465. [PMID: 28469158 PMCID: PMC5431118 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01422-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Utility of syndromic case management (SCM) in women visiting obstetrics & gynecology department needs to be evaluated as it is subjective and imperfect. Consequently, antibiotic resistance has accelerated along with increased risk of infection to the partners. To understand the effectiveness and/or inadequacies of SCM, 11000 women were recruited and examined by clinicians for infection by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and others. Amongst these patients, 1797 (16.3%) reported vaginal discharge (VD). Other symptoms included: vaginitis (97%), cervicitis (75%), genital ulcers (60%), abnormal vaginal discharge (55%) and lower abdominal pain (48%). The patients were treated for single or co-infections using pre-packed National Aids Control Program III STI/RTI Kits. However, based on PCR diagnostics, 1453/1797 (81%) subjects were uninfected for NG/TV/CT. Amongst 344 (19%) infected patients, 257 (75%) carried infection with single pathogen (TV/NG/CT) while 87/344 (25%) were co-infected with multiple pathogens. Prevalence of TV, NG & CT was 4%, 7% and 8% respectively. Co-infection with CT + NG was highest, 51% (44/87), whereas, co-infection with CT + TV was 21% and NG + TV was 18% while co-infection with all three pathogens was 1.3%. We conclude that SCM is imprecise and successful intervention requires accurate and confirmatory diagnostic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subash Chandra Sonkar
- Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Kirti Wasnik
- Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Anita Kumar
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | - Vineeta Sharma
- National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Formerly Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (Indian Council of Medical Research), Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Pratima Mittal
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | - Prashant Kumar Mishra
- Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Mausumi Bharadwaj
- National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Formerly Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (Indian Council of Medical Research), Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Daman Saluja
- Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
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Jackson LA, Day M, Allen J, Scott E, Dyer DW. Iron-regulated small RNA expression as Neisseria gonorrhoeae FA 1090 transitions into stationary phase growth. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:317. [PMID: 28431495 PMCID: PMC5399841 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3684-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For most pathogens, iron (Fe) homeostasis is crucial for maintenance within the host and the ability to cause disease. The primary transcriptional regulator that controls intracellular Fe levels is the Fur (ferric uptake regulator) protein, which exerts its action on transcription by binding to a promoter-proximal sequence termed the Fur box. Fur-regulated transcriptional responses are often fine-tuned at the post-transcriptional level through the action of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs). Consequently, identifying sRNAs contributing to the control of Fe homeostasis is important for understanding the Fur-controlled bacterial Fe-response network. RESULTS In this study, we sequenced size-selected directional libraries representing sRNA samples from Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain FA 1090, and examined the Fe- and temporal regulation of these sRNAs. RNA-seq data for all time points identified a pool of at least 340 potential sRNAs. Differential analysis demonstrated that expression appeared to be regulated by Fe availability for at least fifteen of these sRNAs. Fourteen sRNAs were induced in high Fe conditions, consisting of both cis and trans sRNAs, some of which are predicted to control expression of a known virulence factor, and one SAM riboswitch. An additional putative cis-acting sRNA was repressed by Fe availability. In the pathogenic Neisseria species, one sRNA that contributes to Fe-regulated post-transcriptional control is the Fur-repressible sRNA NrrF. The expression of five Fe-induced sRNAs appeared to be at least partially controlled by NrrF, while the remainder was expressed independently of NrrF. The expression of the 14 Fe-induced sRNAs also exhibited temporal control, as their expression levels increased dramatically as the bacteria entered stationary phase. CONCLUSIONS Here we report the temporal expression of Fe-regulated sRNAs in N. gonorrhoeae FA 1090 with several appearing to be controlled by the Fe-repressible sRNA NrrF. Temporal regulation of these sRNAs suggests a regulatory role in controlling functions necessary for survival, and may be important for phenotypes often associated with altered growth rates, such as biofilm formation or intracellular survival. Future functional studies will be needed to understand how these regulatory sRNAs contribute to gonococcal biology and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydgia A. Jackson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, 975 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 USA
| | - Michael Day
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, 975 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 USA
| | - Jennie Allen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, 975 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 USA
| | - Edgar Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, 975 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 USA
| | - David W. Dyer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, 975 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 USA
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Lahra MM, Enriquez RP. Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme, 1 July to 30 September 2016
. Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2017; 41:E109-E110. [PMID: 28385144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Monica M Lahra
- The World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for STD and Neisseria Reference Laboratory, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales
| | - Rodney P Enriquez
- The World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for STD and Neisseria Reference Laboratory, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales
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20
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Spurbeck RR, Harris PT, Raghunathan K, Arvidson DN, Arvidson CG. A Moonlighting Enolase from Lactobacillus gasseri does not Require Enzymatic Activity to Inhibit Neisseria gonorrhoeae Adherence to Epithelial Cells. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2016; 7:193-202. [PMID: 25917402 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-015-9192-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Enolases are generally thought of as cytoplasmic enzymes involved in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. However, several bacteria have active forms of enolase associated with the cell surface and these proteins are utilized for functions other than central metabolism. Recently, a surface-associated protein produced by Lactobacillus gasseri ATCC 33323 with homology to enolase was found to inhibit the adherence of the sexually transmitted pathogen, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, to epithelial cells in culture. Here, we show that the protein is an active enolase in vitro. A recombinantly expressed, C-terminal His-tagged version of the protein, His6-Eno3, inhibited gonococcal adherence. Assays utilizing inhibitors of enolase enzymatic activity showed that this inhibitory activity required the substrate-binding site to be in an open conformation; however, the enolase enzymatic activity of the protein was not necessary for inhibition of gonococcal adherence. An L. gasseri strain carrying an insertional mutation in eno3 was viable, indicating that eno3 is not an essential gene in L. gasseri 33323. This observation, along with the results of the enzyme assays, is consistent with reports that this strain encodes more than one enolase. Here we show that the three L. gasseri genes annotated as encoding an enolase are expressed. The L. gasseri eno3 mutant exhibited reduced, but not abolished, inhibition of gonococcal adherence, which supports the hypothesis that L. gasseri inhibition of gonococcal adherence is a multifactorial process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel R Spurbeck
- The Genetics Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Leon SR, Segura ER, Konda KA, Flores JA, Silva-Santisteban A, Galea JT, Coates TJ, Klausner JD, Caceres CF. High prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in anal and pharyngeal sites among a community-based sample of men who have sex with men and transgender women in Lima, Peru. BMJ Open 2016; 6:e008245. [PMID: 26739719 PMCID: PMC4716251 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to characterise the epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Lima, Peru. SETTING Cross-sectional study in Lima, Peru. PARTICIPANTS We recruited a group of 510 MSM and 208 TW for a subsequent community-based randomised controlled trial. The presence of CT and NG were evaluated using Aptima Combo2 in pharyngeal and anal swabs. We also explored correlates of these infections. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES Study end points included overall prevalence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in anal and pharyngeal sites. RESULTS Overall prevalence of CT was 19% (95% CI 16.1% to 22.1%) and 4.8% (95% CI 3.3% to 6.6%) in anal and pharyngeal sites, respectively, while prevalence of NG was 9.6% (95% CI 7.5% to 12.0%) and 6.5% (95% CI 4.8% to 8.5%) in anal and pharyngeal sites, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of each infection declined significantly among participants older than 34 years (p<0.05). Efforts towards prevention and treatment of extraurogenital chlamydial and gonococcal infections in high-risk populations like MSM and TW in Lima, Peru, are warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT00670163; Results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Segundo R Leon
- Laboratory of Sexual Health and Unit of Health, Sexuality and Human Development, Cayetano Heredia University, Lima, Peru Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA Socios en Salud, Lima, Peru
| | - Eddy R Segura
- Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru
| | - Kelika A Konda
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Juan A Flores
- Laboratory of Sexual Health and Unit of Health, Sexuality and Human Development, Cayetano Heredia University, Lima, Peru
| | - Alfonso Silva-Santisteban
- Laboratory of Sexual Health and Unit of Health, Sexuality and Human Development, Cayetano Heredia University, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Thomas J Coates
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Klausner
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Carlos F Caceres
- Laboratory of Sexual Health and Unit of Health, Sexuality and Human Development, Cayetano Heredia University, Lima, Peru
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Lahra MM, Enriquez RP. Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme, 1 April to 30 June 2015. Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2015; 39:E628-E630. [PMID: 26779739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
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Lahra MM. Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme annual report, 2013. Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2015; 39:E137-E145. [PMID: 26063087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme has continuously monitored antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from all states and territories since 1981. In 2013, 4,897 clinical isolates of gonococci from public and private sector sources were tested for in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility by standardised methods. Decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone (MIC value 0.06-0.125 mg/L) was found nationally in 8.8% of isolates, double that reported in 2012 (4.4%). The highest proportions were reported from New South Wales and Victoria (both states reporting 11.8%), with a high proportion of strains also reported from Tasmania but a low number of isolates were tested. In addition, there was a multi-drug-resistant strain of N. gonorrhoeae isolated from a traveller to Australia, with a ceftraixone MIC value of 0.5 mgL-the highest ever reported in Australia. These antimicrobial resistance data from Australia in 2013 are cause for considerable concern. With the exception of remote Northern Territory where penicillin resistance rates remain low (1.3%) the proportion of strains resistant to penicillin remained high in all jurisdictions ranging from 15.6% in the Australian Capital Territory to 44.1% in Victoria. Quinolone resistance ranged from 16% in the Australian Capital Territory to 46% in Victoria. Azithromycin susceptibility testing was performed in all jurisdictions and resistance ranged from 0.3% in the Northern Territory to 5.7% in Queensland. High level resistance to azithromycin (MIC value was > 256 mg/L) was reported for the first time in Australia, in 4 strains: 2 each from Queensland and Victoria. Azithromycin resistant gonococci were not detected in the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania or from the remote Northern Territory. Nationally, all isolates remained susceptible to spectinomycin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica M Lahra
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for STD, Sydney and, Neisseria Reference Laboratory, Microbiology Department, The Prince of Wales Hospital, New South Wales
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Lahra MM. Australian gonococcal surveillance programme, 1 April to 30 June 2014. Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2014; 38:E390-E392. [PMID: 25631604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
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Abstract
This Essay from Nicola Low and colleagues discusses the importance of the nucleic acid amplification tests for rapid detection of N. gonorrhoeae and its resistance determinants, as well as the importance of ensuring their rational use, as priorities for controlling both gonorrhoea and antimicrobial resistance. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Low
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Magnus Unemo
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Jørgen Skov Jensen
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Judith Breuer
- MRC-UCL Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Fedarovich A, Djordjevic KA, Swanson SM, Peterson YK, Nicholas RA, Davies C. High-throughput screening for novel inhibitors of Neisseria gonorrhoeae penicillin-binding protein 2. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44918. [PMID: 23049763 PMCID: PMC3458020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae strains exhibiting decreased susceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins and the recent isolation of two distinct strains with high-level resistance to cefixime or ceftriaxone heralds the possible demise of β-lactam antibiotics as effective treatments for gonorrhea. To identify new compounds that inhibit penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which are proven targets for β-lactam antibiotics, we developed a high-throughput assay that uses fluorescence polarization (FP) to distinguish the fluorescent penicillin, Bocillin-FL, in free or PBP-bound form. This assay was used to screen a 50,000 compound library for potential inhibitors of N. gonorrhoeae PBP 2, and 32 compounds were identified that exhibited >50% inhibition of Bocillin-FL binding to PBP 2. These included a cephalosporin that provided validation of the assay. After elimination of compounds that failed to exhibit concentration-dependent inhibition, the antimicrobial activity of the remaining 24 was tested. Of these, 7 showed antimicrobial activity against susceptible and penicillin- or cephalosporin-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae. In molecular docking simulations using the crystal structure of PBP 2, two of these inhibitors docked into the active site of the enzyme and each mediate interactions with the active site serine nucleophile. This study demonstrates the validity of a FP-based assay to find novel inhibitors of PBPs and paves the way for more comprehensive high-throughput screening against highly resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae. It also provides a set of lead compounds for optimization of anti-gonococcal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Fedarovich
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AF); (CD)
| | - Kevin A. Djordjevic
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Shauna M. Swanson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Yuri K. Peterson
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Robert A. Nicholas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AF); (CD)
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Phillips NJ, Steichen CT, Schilling B, Post DMB, Niles RK, Bair TB, Falsetta ML, Apicella MA, Gibson BW. Proteomic analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae biofilms shows shift to anaerobic respiration and changes in nutrient transport and outermembrane proteins. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38303. [PMID: 22701624 PMCID: PMC3368942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 05/03/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea, can form biofilms in vitro and in vivo. In biofilms, the organism is more resistant to antibiotic treatment and can serve as a reservoir for chronic infection. We have used stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) to compare protein expression in biofilm and planktonic organisms. Two parallel populations of N. gonorrhoeae strain 1291, which is an arginine auxotroph, were grown for 48 h in continuous-flow chambers over glass, one supplemented with (13)C(6)-arginine for planktonic organisms and the other with unlabeled arginine for biofilm growth. The biofilm and planktonic cells were harvested and lysed separately, and fractionated into three sequential protein extracts. Corresponding heavy (H) planktonic and light (L) biofilm protein extracts were mixed and separated by 1D SDS-PAGE gels, and samples were extensively analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Overall, 757 proteins were identified, and 152 unique proteins met a 1.5-fold cutoff threshold for differential expression with p-values <0.05. Comparing biofilm to planktonic organisms, this set included 73 upregulated and 54 downregulated proteins. Nearly a third of the upregulated proteins were involved in energy metabolism, with cell envelope proteins making up the next largest group. Of the downregulated proteins, the largest groups were involved in protein synthesis and energy metabolism. These proteomics results were compared with our previously reported results from transcriptional profiling of gonococcal biofilms using microarrays. Nitrite reductase and cytochrome c peroxidase, key enzymes required for anaerobic growth, were detected as highly upregulated in both the proteomic and transcriptomic datasets. These and other protein expression changes observed in the present study were consistent with a shift to anaerobic respiration in gonococcal biofilms, although changes in membrane proteins not explicitly related to this shift may have other functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy J. Phillips
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Christopher T. Steichen
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Birgit Schilling
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, California, United States of America
| | - Deborah M. B. Post
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, California, United States of America
| | - Richard K. Niles
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas B. Bair
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Megan L. Falsetta
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Michael A. Apicella
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Bradford W. Gibson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The sexually transmitted pathogen, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, undergoes natural transformation at high frequency. This property has led to the rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance markers and to the panmictic structure of the gonococcal population. However, high-frequency transformation also makes N. gonorrhoeae one of the easiest bacterial species to manipulate genetically in the laboratory. Techniques have been developed that result in transformation frequencies >50%, allowing the identification of mutants by screening and without selection. Constructs have been created to take advantage of this high-frequency transformation, facilitating genetic mutation, complementation, and heterologous gene expression. Techniques are described for genetic manipulation of N. gonorrhoeae, as well as for growth of this fastidious organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Dillard
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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29
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Wade JJ, Graver MA. A liquid medium permitting anaerobic growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Microbiol Methods 2009; 79:364-6. [PMID: 19796658 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2009.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2009] [Revised: 09/11/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae will grow in an anaerobic atmosphere if provided with nitrite as a terminal electron acceptor, and it is increasingly apparent that this important pathogen may grow anaerobically in vivo. By modifying a previously described chemically-defined medium we have produced a liquid medium capable of supporting growth of N. gonorrhoeae under strictly anaerobic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy James Wade
- Health Protection Agency London Region Laboratory, Medical Microbiology, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS, United Kingdom.
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32
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Spurbeck RR, Arvidson CG. Inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae epithelial cell interactions by vaginal Lactobacillus species. Infect Immun 2008; 76:3124-30. [PMID: 18411284 PMCID: PMC2446695 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00101-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2008] [Revised: 03/08/2008] [Accepted: 04/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
High levels of Lactobacillus, the dominant genus of the healthy human vaginal microbiota, have been epidemiologically linked to a reduced risk of infection following exposure to the sexually transmitted pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In this work, a cell culture model of gonococcal infection was adapted to examine the effects of lactobacilli on gonococcal interactions with endometrial epithelial cells in vitro. Precolonization of epithelial cells with Lactobacillus jensenii, Lactobacillus gasseri ATCC 33323, or L. gasseri ATCC 9857 reduced gonococcal adherence by nearly 50%. Lactobacilli also inhibited gonococcal invasion of epithelial cells by more than 60%, which was independent of the effect on adherence. Furthermore, lactobacilli were able to displace adherent gonococci from epithelial cells, suggesting that these organisms have potential as a postexposure prophylactic. Thus, vaginal lactobacilli have the ability to inhibit gonococci at two key steps of an infection, which might have a significant effect in determining whether the gonococcus will be able to successfully establish an infection following exposure in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel R Spurbeck
- Genetics Program, Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Noto JM, Cornelissen CN. Identification of TbpA residues required for transferrin-iron utilization by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun 2008; 76:1960-9. [PMID: 18347046 PMCID: PMC2346694 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00020-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2008] [Revised: 02/15/2008] [Accepted: 03/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae requires iron for survival in the human host and therefore expresses high-affinity receptors for iron acquisition from host iron-binding proteins. The gonococcal transferrin-iron uptake system is composed of two transferrin binding proteins, TbpA and TbpB. TbpA is a TonB-dependent, outer membrane transporter critical for iron acquisition, while TbpB is a surface-exposed lipoprotein that increases the efficiency of iron uptake. The precise mechanism by which TbpA mediates iron acquisition has not been elucidated; however, the process is distinct from those of characterized siderophore transporters. Similar to these TonB-dependent transporters, TbpA is proposed to have two distinct domains, a beta-barrel and a plug domain. We hypothesize that the TbpA plug coordinates iron and therefore potentially functions in multiple steps of transferrin-mediated iron acquisition. To test this hypothesis, we targeted a conserved motif within the TbpA plug domain and generated single, double, and triple alanine substitution mutants. Mutagenized TbpAs were expressed on the gonococcal cell surface and maintained wild-type transferrin binding affinity. Single alanine substitution mutants internalized iron at wild-type levels, while the double and triple mutants showed a significant decrease in iron uptake. Moreover, the triple alanine substitution mutant was unable to grow on transferrin as a sole iron source; however, expression of TbpB compensated for this defect. These data indicate that the conserved motif between residues 120 and 122 of the TbpA plug domain is critical for transferrin-iron utilization, suggesting that this region plays a role in iron acquisition that is shared by both TbpA and TbpB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Noto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA
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O'Mahony C, Reeve-Fowkes A, Worthen E, Mallinson H. Three years of using Aptima Combo 2 (AC2) transcription-mediated amplification for gonorrhoea in a district hospital genitourinary medicine clinic shows it to be superior to culture and has a specificity of almost 100%. Int J STD AIDS 2008; 19:67-9. [PMID: 18275655 DOI: 10.1258/ijsa.2007.007281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Price GA, Masri HP, Hollander AM, Russell MW, Cornelissen CN. Gonococcal transferrin binding protein chimeras induce bactericidal and growth inhibitory antibodies in mice. Vaccine 2007; 25:7247-60. [PMID: 17720283 PMCID: PMC2225598 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2007] [Revised: 05/11/2007] [Accepted: 07/12/2007] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated the full-length gonococcal transferrin binding proteins (TbpA and TbpB) to be promising antigens in the development of a protective vaccine against Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In the current study we employed a genetic chimera approach fusing domains from TbpA and TbpB to the A2 domain of cholera toxin, which naturally binds in a non-covalent fashion to the B subunit of cholera toxin during assembly. For one construct, the N-terminal half of TbpB (NB) was fused to the A2 subunit of cholera toxin. In a second construct, the loop 2 region (L2) of TbpA was genetically fused between the NB domain and the A2 domain, generating a double chimera. Both chimeras were immunogenic and induced serum bactericidal and vaginal growth-inhibiting antibodies. This study highlights the potential of using protective epitopes instead of full-length proteins in the development of an efficacious gonococcal vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A. Price
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia 23298 USA
| | - Heather P. Masri
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia 23298 USA
| | - Aimee M. Hollander
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia 23298 USA
| | - Michael W. Russell
- Departments of Oral Biology and Microbiology and Immunology, Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Cynthia Nau Cornelissen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia 23298 USA
- To whom correspondence should be addressed Mailing address: P.O. Box 980678, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, , Phone: (804) 827-1754, Fax: (804) 828-9946
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Wade JJ, Graver MA. A fully defined, clear and protein-free liquid medium permitting dense growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from very low inocula. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2007; 273:35-7. [PMID: 17559396 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00776.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is difficult to cultivate in liquid medium. Currently there are no liquid media, defined or undefined, that reliably permit growth of this bacterium from low inocula. Standard clinical laboratory broths may allow multiplication of some strains of gonococci from large inocula, but such media incorporate infusates, extracts or digests and are therefore undefined. In this study, 20 gonococci of ten auxotypes were tested in various experimental media in the development of an easily prepared chemically defined, clear and protein-free liquid medium. The final medium - GW medium - allowed the growth of three clinical isolates of gonococci from inocula of <10(3) CFU mL(-1) to >10(8) CFU mL(-1) by 24 h. None of four commercially-available broths (nutrient broth, brain heart infusion, tryptone soya broth, and Mueller-Hinton broth) tested in parallel reliably supported growth of these isolates to the same extent. GW medium should be useful for studies of the growth of gonococci under different conditions and, as the medium is clear and colorless, this can be monitored turbidometrically. GW medium may be suitable as a basal medium for biochemical identification tests, antimicrobial susceptibility determinations and antimicrobial synergy studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy James Wade
- Health Protection Agency London Region Laboratory, Medical Microbiology, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
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Rogers ME, Opdyke KM, Blank S, Schillinger JA. Patient-Delivered Partner Treatment and Other Partner Management Strategies for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Used by New York City Healthcare Providers. Sex Transm Dis 2007; 34:88-92. [PMID: 16810120 DOI: 10.1097/01.olq.0000225322.94613.c2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to measure frequency and predictors of patient-delivered partner treatment (PDPT) and the frequency of other partner management strategies among New York City healthcare providers (HCPs) as well as to determine whether use of PDPT detracts from other partner management strategies. STUDY DESIGN The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of New York City HCPs. RESULTS Frequent patient referral was reported by 93.6% (368 of 393) of healthcare providers; only 20% (80 of 401) reported frequent use of provider referral. Overall, 49.2% (196 of 398) of HCPs reported ever using PDPT and 27.1% (108 of 398) reported using PDPT frequently. HCP specialty, practice setting, duration of practice, report of frequent provider referral practice, and HCP race/ethnicity were the strongest predictors of PDPT use. HCPs reporting PDPT use were more likely to report frequent provider referral than those who had never used PDPT (26.7% vs. 12.6%; P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS PDPT use is common and is being used in conjunction with other partner management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meighan E Rogers
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Sexually Transmitted Disease Control, New York, New York 10013, USA.
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Exley RM, Wu H, Shaw J, Schneider MC, Smith H, Jerse AE, Tang CM. Lactate acquisition promotes successful colonization of the murine genital tract by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun 2006; 75:1318-24. [PMID: 17158905 PMCID: PMC1828543 DOI: 10.1128/iai.01530-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies on Neisseria gonorrhoeae have demonstrated that metabolism of lactate in the presence of glucose increases the growth rate of the bacterium and enhances its resistance to complement-mediated killing. Although these findings in vitro suggest that the acquisition of lactate promotes gonococcal colonization, the significance of this carbon source to the survival of the gonococcus in vivo remains unknown. To investigate the importance of lactate utilization during Neisseria gonorrhoeae genital tract infection, we identified the gene lctP, which encodes the gonococcal lactate permease. A mutant that lacks a functional copy of lctP was unable to take up exogenous lactate and did not grow in defined medium with lactate as the sole carbon source, in contrast to the wild-type and complemented strains; the mutant strain exhibited no growth defect in defined medium containing glucose. In defined medium containing physiological concentrations of lactate and glucose, the lctP mutant demonstrated reduced early growth and increased sensitivity to complement-mediated killing compared with the wild-type strain; the enhanced susceptibility to complement was associated with a reduction in lipopolysaccharide sialylation of the lctP mutant. The importance of lactate utilization during colonization was evaluated in the murine model of lower genital tract infection. The lctP mutant was significantly attenuated in its ability to colonize and survive in the genital tract, while the complemented mutant exhibited no defect for colonization. Lactate is a micronutrient in the genital tract that contributes to the survival of the gonococcus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Exley
- The Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Infectious Diseases, Flowers Building, Imperial College London, Armstrong Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Pathogenic bacteria can modulate and interfere with human cell cycle progression. Here we study the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae and its ability to influence and affect the cell cycle in two human target cell lines. We found that bacteria adhere equally well to cells synchronized into the different cell cycle phases of G1, S, and G2, but were unable to adhere to cells in M phase or G0 phase. In addition, using Western blot and/or flow cytometry analysis we demonstrate that bacterial infection for 24 h results in decreased levels of the cell cycle regulatory proteins cyclin B1, cyclin D1, and cyclin E. Further studies in N. gonorrhoeae-infected epithelial cells involving analysis of DNA content, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, quantification of late mitotic cells and analysis of nuclear phenotype provide compelling evidence that a 24 h gonococcal infection arrests the cells in early G1 phase of the cell cycle. In summary, we present data showing that MS11 P+ strain of N. gonorrhoeae can down-regulate cyclins, important modulators of the cell cycle, and result in a G1 arrest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Jones
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, S-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
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40
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Garcia DL, Dillard JP. AmiC functions as an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase necessary for cell separation and can promote autolysis in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:7211-21. [PMID: 17015660 PMCID: PMC1636224 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00724-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is prone to undergo autolysis under many conditions not conducive to growth. The role of autolysis during gonococcal infection is not known, but possible advantages for the bacterial population include provision of nutrients to a starving population, modulation of the host immune response by released cell components, and donation of DNA for natural transformation. Biochemical studies indicated that an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase is responsible for cell wall breakdown during autolysis. In order to better understand autolysis and in hopes of creating a nonautolytic mutant, we mutated amiC, the gene for a putative peptidoglycan-degrading amidase in N. gonorrhoeae. Characterization of peptidoglycan fragments released during growth showed that an amiC mutant did not produce free disaccharide, consistent with a role for AmiC as an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase. Compared to the wild-type parent, the mutant exhibited altered growth characteristics, including slowed exponential-phase growth, increased turbidity in stationary phase, and increased colony opacity. Thin-section electron micrographs showed that mutant cells did not fully separate but grew as clumps. Complementation of the amiC deletion mutant with wild-type amiC restored wild-type growth characteristics and transparent colony morphology. Overexpression of amiC resulted in increased cell lysis, supporting AmiC's purported function as a gonococcal autolysin. However, amiC mutants still underwent autolysis in stationary phase, indicating that other gonococcal enzymes are also involved in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Garcia
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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41
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Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved a repertoire of iron acquisition systems that facilitate essential iron uptake in the human host. Acquisition of iron requires both the energy-harnessing cytoplasmic membrane protein, TonB, as well as specific outer membrane TonB-dependent transporters (TdTs.) Survival within host epithelial cells is important to the pathogenesis of gonococcal disease and may contribute to the persistence of infection. However, the mechanisms by which gonococci acquire iron within this intracellular niche are not currently understood. In this study, we investigated the survival of gonococcal strain FA1090 within ME180 human cervical epithelial cells with respect to high affinity iron acquisition. Intracellular survival was dependent upon iron supplied by the host cell. TonB was expressed in the host cell environment and this protein was critical to gonococcal intracellular survival. Furthermore, expression of the characterized outer membrane transporters TbpA, FetA and LbpA and putative transporters TdfG, TdfH and TdfJ were not necessary for intracellular survival. Conversely, intracellular survival was dependent on expression of the putative transporter, TdfF. Expression of TdfF was detected in the presence of epithelial cell culture media containing fetal bovine serum. Expression was further modulated by iron availability. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the specific requirement for a single iron transporter in the survival of a bacterial pathogen within host epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracey A Hagen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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42
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Abstract
Type IV pili are a major virulence factor of the obligate human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus; Gc). Pili facilitate bacterial adherence to epithelial cells, but their participation in later steps of epithelial infection, particularly intracellular replication and exit, is poorly understood. Using polarized T84 cells as a model for mature mucosal epithelia, pilus dynamics in piliated, Opa-expressing Gc were examined over time. T84 infection was characterized by a several-hour delay in the growth of cell-associated bacteria and by non-directional exit of Gc, the first time these phenomena have been reported. During infection, non-piliated progeny arose stochastically from piliated progenitors. Piliated and non-piliated Gc replicated and exited from T84 cell monolayers equally well, demonstrating that piliation did not influence Gc survival during epithelial infection. The frequency with which pilin variants arose from a defined piliated progenitor during T84 cell infection was found to be sufficiently high to account for the extensive pilin variation reported during human infection. However, the repertoire of variants appearing in association with T84 cells was similar to what was seen in the absence of cells, demonstrating that polarized epithelial cells can support Gc replication without selecting for a subset of pilin variants or piliation states.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - H. Steven Seifert
- Corresponding author. Address: 303 E. Chicago Ave. Searle 6−450, Mailcode S213, Chicago, IL 60611. Phone: (312) 503−9788. Fax: (312) 503−1339. E-mail:
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43
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Abstract
The addition of host-derived sialic acid to Neisseria gonorrhoeae lipooligosaccharide is hypothesized to be an important mechanism by which gonococci evade host innate defenses. This hypothesis is based primarily on in vitro assays of complement-mediated and phagocytic killing. Here we report that a nonpolar alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (lst) mutant of N. gonorrhoeae was significantly attenuated in its capacity to colonize the lower genital tract of 17-beta estradiol-treated female BALB/c mice during competitive infection with the wild-type strain. Genetic complementation of the lst mutation restored recovery of the mutant to wild-type levels. Studies with B10.D2-HC(o)H2(d)H(2)-T18c/OSN (C5-deficient) mice showed that attenuation of the lst mutant was not due to increased sensitivity to complement-mediated bacteriolysis, a result that is consistent with recently reported host restrictions in the complement cascade. However, Lst-deficient gonococci were killed more rapidly than sialylated wild-type gonococci following intraperitoneal injection into normal mice, which is consistent with sialylation conferring protection against killing by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). As reported for human PMNs, sialylated gonococci were more resistant to killing by murine PMNs, and sialylation led to reduced association with and induction of a weaker respiratory burst in PMNs from estradiol-treated mice. In summary, these studies suggest sialylation confers a survival advantage to N. gonorrhoeae in mice by increasing resistance to PMN killing. This report is the first direct demonstration that alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase contributes to N. gonorrhoeae pathogenesis in an in vivo model. This study also validates the use of experimental murine infection to study certain aspects of gonococcal pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814-4799, USA
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44
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Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus) infection results in recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) to the urethral lumen. Recent work from our laboratory demonstrated that N. gonorrhoeae resists killing and replicates within PMNs. In this study, we examined the effect of gonococci on PMN viability. Using both transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy, we observed nuclear condensation after 6 h in PMNs that were resting or challenged with opsonized zymosan particles (OPZ). In contrast, N. gonorrhoeae delayed nuclear condensation in PMNs for 12 h (13% apoptotic PMNs vs. 90% for resting and 94% for OPZ-stimulated PMNs). Additionally, DNA fragmentation was reduced in PMNs challenged with gonococci for 12 h (28% apoptosis vs. 52% for resting and 98% for OPZ-stimulated PMNs). However, 74% of PMNs challenged with gonococci had condensed nuclei and 67% had fragmented DNA after 24 h. Caspase activity (total caspase, caspase-3/7, caspase-9) was reduced at 4 h and mitochondrial integrity was preserved at 2 h in PMNs challenged with N. gonorrhoeae. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that mRNA levels of X-IAP and cIAP-2 remained high after challenge with gonococci, but were downregulated in OPZ-stimulated PMNs. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that N. gonorrhoeae delayed apoptosis in PMNs, perhaps as a strategy to allow intracellular replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P Simons
- Department of Microbiology, Inflammation Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
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45
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Seib KL, Wu HJ, Kidd SP, Apicella MA, Jennings MP, McEwan AG. Defenses against oxidative stress in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a system tailored for a challenging environment. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2006; 70:344-61. [PMID: 16760307 PMCID: PMC1489540 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00044-05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a host-adapted pathogen that colonizes primarily the human genitourinary tract. This bacterium encounters reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species as a consequence of localized inflammatory responses in the urethra of males and endocervix of females and also of the activity of commensal lactobacilli in the vaginal flora. This review describes recent advances in the understanding of defense systems against oxidative stress in N. gonorrhoeae and shows that while some of its defenses have similarities to the paradigm established with Escherichia coli, there are also some key differences. These differences include the presence of a defense system against superoxide based on manganese ions and a glutathione-dependent system for defense against nitric oxide which is under the control of a novel MerR-like transcriptional regulator. An understanding of the defenses against oxidative stress in N. gonorrhoeae and their regulation may provide new insights into the ways in which this bacterium survives challenges from polymorphonuclear leukocytes and urogenital epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Seib
- The School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
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46
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Affiliation(s)
- H L Ley
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health, Boston
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47
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Chawdhury FAH, Sultana J, Rahman M. Evaluation of goat blood as substitute for sheep blood in Modified Thayer-Martin agar medium for culture and isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Sex Transm Dis 2006; 33:181-2. [PMID: 16505736 DOI: 10.1097/01.olq.0000187206.69006.6e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Modified Thayer-Martin (MTM) medium containing goat blood (MTMGB) and sheep blood (MTMSB) was compared for culture of N. gonorrhoeae. Evaluation of 252 endocervical specimens and quantitative culture of 10 strains revealed no significant difference in isolation and growth. MTMGB can be a suitable and cost-effective alternative for MTMSB.
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48
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Unemo M, Savicheva A, Budilovskaya O, Sokolovsky E, Larsson M, Domeika M. Laboratory diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in St Petersburg, Russia: inventory, performance characteristics and recommended optimisations. Sex Transm Infect 2006; 82:41-4. [PMID: 16461601 PMCID: PMC2563834 DOI: 10.1136/sti.2005.016345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To perform a comprehensive inventory of the number of samples, performance characteristics, and quality assurance of the laboratory diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae at five laboratories in St Petersburg and Leningradskaya Oblast, Russia, in 2004, and to recommend optimisations for an increased adherence to international evidence based recommendations of diagnostics. METHODS Surveillance data were obtained with questionnaire and site visits. For evaluation of the culture media utilised at the laboratories, N gonorrhoeae reference strains (n = 29) were used. RESULTS During 2004 the total numbers of N gonorrhoeae samples analysed at the five laboratories using microscopy of stained smears and culturing were 330 879 (407 positive) and 38 020 (420 positive), respectively. Four laboratories used a Russian non-selective culture medium-that is, Complegon, and one laboratory utilised Biocult-GC. Both media seemed suboptimal. Only two of the laboratories used any species confirmative assay. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of N gonorrhoeae was performed at only two of the laboratories and each year only occasional isolates were analysed. None of the laboratories comprised a complete laboratory quality assurance system. CONCLUSIONS According to international recommendations, the diagnosis of N gonorrhoeae in St Petersburg and Leningradskaya Oblast, Russia, is suboptimal. More samples need to be analysed by culturing on a highly nutritious and selective medium and, furthermore, species confirmation and antibiotic susceptibility testing should be more frequently performed. In addition, the utilised methods for culturing and antibiotic susceptibility testing, including medium and interpretative criteria used, ought to be optimised, standardised, and quality assured using systematic internal and external quality controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Unemo
- National Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Orebro University Hospital, SE-701 85 Orebro, Sweden.
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49
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Abstract
Gonorrhea has been recognized since antiquity, and more than 60 million new cases occur yearly worldwide. Much has been learned about the molecular pathogenesis of infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, but immunity from natural infection does not protect against reinfection with the same strain, and the goal of a protective vaccine remains elusive. Gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum is the most common manifestation in infants born to mothers with gonococcal genital tract infections. Genital and pharyngeal gonococcal infections in young children almost always are acquired from sexual abuse by an infected adult. Invasive disease can occur at any age but is uncommon. Nonculture diagnostic tests are widely used in adults, but culture is required in children for medicolegal purposes. N. gonorrhoeae strains have developed resistance to many antibiotic classes, and resistance profiles vary among geographic regions and within regions over time. Current guidelines for treatment of gonococcal infections in children in the United States are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R Woods
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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50
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Abstract
A MerR-like regulator (NmlR -Neisseria merR-like Regulator) identified in the Neisseria gonorrhoeae genome lacks the conserved cysteines known to bind metal ions in characterized proteins of this family. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that NmlR defines a subfamily of MerR-like transcription factors with a distinctive pattern of conserved cysteines within their primary structure. NmlR regulates itself and three other genes in N. gonorrhoeae encoding a glutathione-dependent dehydrogenase (AdhC), a CPx-type ATPase (CopA) and a thioredoxin reductase (TrxB). An nmlR mutant lacked the ability to survive oxidative stress induced by diamide and cumene hydroperoxide. It also had > 50-fold lower NADH-S-nitrosoglutathione oxidoreductase activity consistent with a role for AdhC in protection against nitric oxide stress. The upstream sequences of the NmlR regulated genes contained typical MerR-like operator/promoter arrangements consisting of a dyad symmetry located between the -35 and -10 elements of the target genes. The NmlR target operator/promoters were cloned into a beta-galactosidase reporter system and promoter activity was repressed by the introduction of NmlR in trans. Promoter activity was activated by NmlR in the presence of diamide. Under metal depleted conditions NmlR did not repress P(AdhC) (or P(CopA)) promoter activity, but this was reversed in the presence of Zn(II), indicating repression was Zn(II)-dependent. Analysis of mutated promoters lacking the dyad symmetry revealed constitutive promoter activity which was independent of NmlR. Gel shift assays further confirmed that NmlR bound to the target promoters possessing the dyad symmetry. Site-directed mutagenesis of the four NmlR cysteine residues revealed that they were essential for activation of gene expression by NmlR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P Kidd
- Centre for Metals in Biology, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
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