Comparison of Virulence Markers of Peritoneal and Fallopian Tube Isolates with Endocervical Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates from Women with Acute Salpingitis

Abstract

N. gonorrhoeae strains which cause acute salpingitis probably ascend the genital tract from the cervix. Previous studies utilized isolates obtained from endocervical canal cultures, although it was not known if the isolates truly represented the organisms present in the fallopian tubes. N. gonorrhoeae isolates from endocervical canal cultures were compared with fallopian tube or peritoneal cul-de-sac isolates or isolates from both sites obtained at laparoscopy. Potential virulence markers were studied, including colony phenotype, auxotype, antimicrobial agent susceptibility, protein patterns on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and susceptibility to normal human serum. Of 7 cervical isolates, 6 had the same antibiograms and MW for major outer membrane proteins as those of the corresponding peritoneal isolates. Auxotypes were the same and included prototrophic, proline-requiring and proline-and-arginine-requiring isolates. The isolates as a group appeared very susceptible to the bactericidal action of pooled serum from normal women. Colony phenotypes varied between sites; the fallopian tubes cul-de-sac isolates were predominantly of transparent phenotype and piliated. The cervical isolates were mixtures of equal quantities of opaque and transparent phenotypes or predominantly opaque phenotype. By these markers, patients'' N. gonorrhoeae cervical isolates appeared the same as their isolates from fallopian tubes except for a difference or shift in colony phenotype.