Biology of the Pathogenic Neisseriae

Rho GTPases as pathogen targets: Focus on curable sexually transmitted infections

“…Pilus retraction 50 triggers a tight association between the bacterial opacityassociated (Opa) outer membrane proteins and the host cell receptors, which promotes invasion. 48,[50][51][52][53] A single gonococcal strain can harbour 11 opa genes that can be switched on and off independently. These genes contain 5 0 tandem repeats [CTCTT]n that cause high-frequency, phase-variable expression, 54 in addition to intra-and inter-genomic recombination events.…”

'Small' talk: Opa proteins as mediators of Neisseria–host-cell communication

“…Both microorganisms colonise mucosal surfaces in different body parts, re¯ect-ing the route of transmission: either the genito-urinary tract following sexual transmission of gonococci; or the nasopharynx after airborne spread of meningococci. Colonisation with these pathogens often (gonococcus) or in the majority of cases (meningococcus) remains without symptoms; however, invasive disease can develop involving breaching of epithelial and endothelial barriers, purulent in¯ammation, and haematogenic spread, resulting in severe and often life-threatening medical conditions (reviewed in [1,2]). …”

Immunogenicity of Gonococcal Transferrin Binding Proteins during Natural Infections

“…In human vaccine trials, partially lysed gonococci, purified pilin, and purified porin were shown to be immunogenic, but all failed to elicit protection upon subsequent natural exposure (7,19,46). The lack of protective immunity is likely due, in part, to the capacity of many gonococcal surface antigens to undergo high-frequency phase and antigenic variation (38). With the increasing emergence of drug-resistant strains (9) and the disturbing finding that human immunodeficiency virus transmission is increased with concurrent gonococcal infection (11,27), the search for effective vaccine antigens has become more urgent.…”