Neisseria gonorrhoeae releases soluble fragments of peptidoglycan during growth. These molecules are implicated in the pathogenesis of various forms of gonococcal infection. A major peptidoglycan fragment released by gonococci is identical to the tracheal cytotoxin of Bordetella pertussis and has been shown to kill ciliated fallopian tube cells in organ culture. Previous studies indicated that ...

The authors examined three urine specimens from each of 24 men with acute gonococcal urethritis. Gonococcal concentrations in urine were 7 X 10(3)/ml to 9 X 10(8)/ml in first samples, 1 X 10(2)/ml to 5 X 10(6)/ml in midstream samples, and, in the terminal samples from only 22 men, 8 X 10(4)/ml. A further 17 men with symptomless gonococcal urethritis were examined. Seven of them yielded 1 X 10(2...

Four patients with Neisseria meningitidis infection complicated by arthritis are described. Three patients had an acute polyarthritis which responded quickly to antimicrobial therapy. A fourth patient developed a prolonged arthritis which occurred after the initial infection had been successfully treated. Tenosynovitis occurred as a complication in one case. Attention is drawn to possible confu...

It is well-known that gonorrhea can be acquired repeatedly with no apparent development of protective immunity arising from previous episodes of infection. Symptomatic infection is characterized by a purulent exudate, but the host response mechanisms are poorly understood. While the remarkable antigenic variability displayed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and its capacity to inhibit complement activa...