Neisseria meningitidis strains express a diverse range of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structures that have been classified into 12 immunotypes. A feature of meningococcal LPS is the reversible, high-frequency switching of expression (phase variation) of terminal LPS structures. A number of studies are strongly suggestive of a key role for these terminal structures, and their phase-variable express...

The gonococcal porA pseudogene is a popular target for in-house Neisseria gonorrhoeae PCR methods. With this study we present two novel findings: the first case of an N. gonorrhoeae porA pseudogene PCR false-negative result caused by sequence variation, and in the same organism, the first description of a clinical N. gonorrhoeae strain harbouring an N. meningitidis porA sequence.

A hybridoma derived from a mouse immunized with gonococcal outer membranes produced an antibody, designated H.8, that bound to all strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis tested, and to N. lactamica and N. cinerea, but only rarely to other nonpathogenic Neisseria species. Studies with the gonococcal strain used in production of the antibody showed that the antibody bound to a surfa...

The similarity in polynucleotide sequence of seven strains of Neisseria lactamicus to N. meningitidis and to each other was investigated. The per cent reassociation between single-stranded N. lactamicus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), immobilized on membrane filters, with labeled single-stranded DNA fragments derived from strain SD-6 (group C) of N. meningitidis varied from 75 to 56. With strain A...

The pathogenic Neisseria species N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae possess an outer membrane lipoprotein, designated Lip, which is present in all strains tested. The predicted protein sequence of Lip consists of a consensus AAEAP amino acid repeat. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using the Lip repeat number and sequence for subtyping of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Th...

The comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences is widely used to differentiate bacteria; however, this gene can lack resolution among closely related but distinct members of the same genus. This is a problem in clinical situations in those genera, such as Neisseria, where some species are associated with disease while others are not. Here, we identified and validated an alternative genetic target co...

In addition to harmless commensal species, Neisseria genus encompasses two pathogenic species, N. meningitidis (the meningococcus) and N. gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus), which are responsible for meningitis and genital tract infections, respectively. Since the publication of the first Neisseria genome in 2000, the presence of several genomic islands (GI) comprising maf genes has been intriguing. ...

Members of our group reported recently that neisseria infection of human epithelial cells results in accelerated degradation of the major lysosomal integral membrane protein LAMP1 and that this is due to hydrolysis of this glycoprotein at its immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1)-like hinge by the neisseria type 2 IgA1 protease (L. Lin et al., Mol. Microbiol. 24:1083-1094, 1997). We also reported that the I...

Real-time PCR based on the capsule transfer gene (ctrA) is a significant aid in the diagnosis of meningococcal infection but fails to detect a high proportion (60 %) of non-groupable strains associated with nasopharyngeal carriage. This study aimed to design a novel real-time (TaqMan) PCR that would detect more strains of meningococci and be suitable for large-scale carriage studies. Primer and...

To address the role of bacterial infection in hatching failure of wild geese, we monitored embryo development in a breeding population of Greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. During 2013, we observed mortality of normally developing embryos and collected 36 addled eggs for analysis. We also collected 17 infertile eggs for comparison. Using standar...