Longitudinal evaluation of serovar-specific immunity to Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
(1/1702)
The serovars of Neisseria gonorrhoeae that are predominant in a community change over time, a phenomenon that may be due to the development of immunity to repeat infection with the same serovar. This study evaluated the epidemiologic evidence for serovar-specific immunity to N. gonorrhoeae. During a 17-month period in 1992-1994, all clients of a sexually transmitted disease clinic in rural North Carolina underwent genital culture for N. gonorrhoeae. Gonococcal isolates were serotyped according to standard methods. Odds ratios for repeat infection with the same serovar versus any different serovar were calculated on the basis of the distribution of serovars in the community at the time of reinfection. Of 2,838 patients, 608 (21.4%; 427 males and 181 females) were found to be infected with N. gonorrhoeae at the initial visit. Ninety patients (14.8% of the 608) had a total of 112 repeat gonococcal infections. Repeat infection with the same serovar occurred slightly more often than would be expected based on the serovars prevalent in the community at the time of reinfection, though the result was marginally nonsignificant (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.0-2.4; p = 0.05). Choosing partners within a sexual network may increase the likelihood of repeat exposure to the same serovar of N. gonorrhoeae. Gonococcal infection did not induce evident immunity to reinfection with the same serovar. (+info)
Antimicrobial susceptibilities and plasmid contents of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from commercial sex workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh: emergence of high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin.
(2/1702)
Commercial sex workers (CSWs) serve as the most important reservoir of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), including gonorrhea. Periodic monitoring of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a high-risk population provides essential clues regarding the rapidly changing pattern of antimicrobial susceptibilities. A study concerning the prevalence of gonococcal infection among CSWs was conducted in Bangladesh. The isolates were examined with regards to their antimicrobial susceptibility to, and the MICs of, penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, and spectinomycin by disk diffusion and agar dilution methods. The total plasmid profile of the isolates was also analyzed. Of the 224 CSWs, 94 (42%) were culture positive for N. gonorrhoeae. There was a good correlation between the results of the disk diffusion and agar dilution methods. Some 66% of the isolates were resistant to penicillin, and 34% were moderately susceptible to penicillin. Among the resistant isolates, 23.4% were penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG). 60.6% of the isolates were resistant and 38.3% were moderately susceptible to tetracycline, 17.5% were tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae, 11.7% were resistant and 26.6% had reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, 2.1% were resistant and 11.7% had reduced susceptibility to cefuroxime, and 1% were resistant to ceftriaxone. All PPNG isolates contained a 3.2-MDa African type of plasmid, and a 24.2-MDa conjugative plasmid was present in 34.1% of the isolates. Since quinolones such as ciprofloxacin are recommended as the first line of therapy for gonorrhea, the emergence of significant resistance to ciprofloxacin will limit the usefulness of this drug for treatment of gonorrhea in Bangladesh. (+info)
Human experimentation with Neisseria gonorrhoeae: progress and goals.
(3/1702)
Infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae has adverse consequences for reproductive health and facilitates the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. A major limitation in the development of gonococcal vaccines has been the lack of an animal model. Urethral infection can be initiated in male volunteer subjects through urethral inoculation. Several hundred patients have participated in studies using this experimental infection model. These studies have helped define the natural history of experimental infection and provided a better understanding of phenotypic and genotypic variation of gonococci in vivo. Isogenic molecular mutants can be used to define a role for gonococcal surface structures, including pilin and transferrin-binding proteins; recent results demonstrate that gonococci unable to express transferrin- and lactoferrin-binding proteins cannot cause urethral infection. The experimental model has proven to be an efficient means of studying gonococcal infection and focusing vaccine development. In addition, this model should allow vaccines to be tested quickly and efficiently. (+info)
Gonococcal urethral stricture and watering-can perineum.
(4/1702)
A total of sixteen patients with urethral stricture and/or perineal urinary fistulae (water-can perineum) complicating gonorrhoea were seen at the Special Treatment Clinic, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. The patients were aged between 25 and 80 years, and the latent period between the time of original attack of gonococcal infection and the development of complications varied from 4 to 50 years. The rate of divorce or marital separation is high among these patients with late sequelae of gonorrhoea. The factors responsible for the present higher incidence of early and late complications of gonorrhoea among patients in Nigeria and other tropical countries compared with their counterparts in Europe and North American include: (a) Lack of medical facilities in most rural areas; (b) Inadequate treatment of veneral diseases, including the urban areas where self-medication is practised on a large scale by the general population; (c) Illiteracy and ignorance of venereal diseases. The cases of watering-can perineum reported here, and the subsequent chronic pyelonephritis and hypertension, reinforce the plea for early and energetic treatment of acute gonorrhoea in Africa as well as large-scale control measures by the health authorities. (+info)
Gonorrhoea in patients with scabies.
(5/1702)
242 patients with scabies were examined for gonorrhoea at the Municipal Hospital of Copenhagen over a one-year period. We found asymptomatic gonorrhoea in 2% of the male patients and 12%. of the female patients. The incidence of gonorrhoea in female patients with scabies is thus higher than in other routinely examined groups of patients (Andersen and Nielsen, 1974; Gregersen, 1972; Hansen and Lange, 1973; Nielsen, 1974; Starck, Bygdeman, Eriksson, Heinerz, and Moberg, )971). Our suggestion is that all patients with scabies, male as well as female, should be examined routinely for gonorrhoea. (+info)
Isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases.
(6/1702)
Attempts were made to isolate Chlamydia trachomatis from the cervix of 300 women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases in Leeds. The women were divided into four groups; (1) 130 were consorts of men suffering from non-specific urethritis; (2) 66 were suffering from gonorrhoea, or were consorts of men suffering from this disease; (3) 56 were suffering from other sexually transmitted diseases; (4) 48 had no evidence of STD. The overall isolation rate of Chlamydia trachomatis was 20%. Positive results were obtained in 30%. of Group 1, in 27-3%. of Group 2, in 3-6%. of Group 3, and in 2-1%. of Group 4. No pathogenic sign or symptom of Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the cervix was detected. (+info)
Assessing the sensitivity of STD surveillance in the Netherlands: an application of the capture--recapture method.
(7/1702)
The capture-recapture method was used to estimate the sensitivity of case finding in two national STD surveillance systems: (1) STD registration at municipal health services (STD-MHS); (2) statutory notification by clinicians (NNS). To identify those cases common to both surveillance systems, cases from 1995 were compared using individual identifiers. Estimated sensitivities for syphilis were: STD-MHS 31% (95% CI: 27-35%), NNS 64% (56-71%); and for gonorrhoea: STD-MHS 15% (14-18%), NNS 22% (19-25%). The combined sensitivity of both systems was 76% for syphilis and 34% for gonorrhoea. Differences in the sensitivity of the systems were significant. The NNS was more sensitive than the STD-MHS, and the identification of cases was significantly more sensitive for syphilis than for gonorrhoea. A stratified analysis showed comparable results for the two sexes. Knowledge on the sensitivity of surveillance systems is useful for public health decisions and essential for international comparisons. (+info)
Bile salts: natural detergents for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
(8/1702)
The development of new, safe, topical microbicides for intravaginal use for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases is imperative. Previous studies have suggested that bile salts may inhibit human immunodeficiency virus infection; however, their activities against other sexually transmitted pathogens have not been reported. To further explore the potential role of bile salts in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, we examined the in vitro activities and cytotoxicities of select bile salts against Chlamydia trachomatis, herpes simplex virus (types 1 and 2), Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and human immunodeficiency virus in comparison to those of nonoxynol-9 and benzalkonium chloride using both primary cells and cell lines derived from the human female genital tract. We found that taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate and a combination of glycocholic acid and taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate showed excellent activity against all of the pathogens assayed. Moreover, taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate alone or in combination was less cytotoxic than nonoxynol-9 and benzalkonium chloride. Thus, taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate alone or in combination warrants further evaluation as a candidate topical microbicidal agent. (+info)