Neisseria Gonorrhoea

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 A Lecture By – Dr. D. W.

DESHKAR
 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPT.OF MICROBIOLOGY
 D.Y.PATIL MEDICAL COLLEGE,KOLHAPUR
 A 20 year old man presented with urethral discharge &
2
dysuria for previous two days. H/O unprotected sex
with a commercial sex worker a week back.

 On examination of a smear of pus – Gram negative


diplococci were seen inside polymorphs.

 Culture on Thayer – Martin medium - Positive

 Diagnosis – Gonorrhoea
 N.gonorrhoeae causes the
3 venereal disease
gonorrhoea.

 Gonococcus was first


described in gonorrheal pus
by Neisser in 1879.

 Bumm in 1885 cultured the


coccus & proved its
pathogenicity by inoculating
human volunteers.
The name Gonorrhea is derived from
4 Greek words- Gonos ( seed ) rhoia ( flow ).

Describes a condition in which semen


flowed from the male organ without
erection,
 Gram – ve diplococcus.

 With adjacent sides


concave (kidney shaped)

 Predominantly in the
polymorphs ( Intracellular)

 Some cells may contain as


many as 100 cocci.
 Gonococci possess pilli on
their surface.
 Pilli facilitate adhesion of the
cocci to mucosal surface &
promote virulence by
inhibiting phagocytosis.
 Gonococci infect non –
cornified epithelium.
 They agglutinate human
RBCs. Haemagglutination not
inhibited by mannose.
 Gonococci are non motile. More difficult to grow.
 Are aerobic. But may grow anaerobically also.
 Growth occurring best at pH 7.2 – 7.6 Optimum
0
temperature for growth – 35 – 36 C.
 Essential to provide 5 – 10 % CO2.
 Grow well on CHOCOLATE AGAR & MUELLUR – HINTON
AGAR.
 Selective medium – THAYER – MARTIN medium
(contains Vancomycin + Colistin + Nystatin which
inhibit most of the contaminants).
 Are oxidase positive .
 Are Catalase positive

 Rapid Carbohydrate Utilization


test:

Glucose Maltose
N.gonorrhoeae + -
(Acid)
1. CAPSULE 2. PILLI
 It is polyphosphate and not  Are hair like structures extending
polysaccharide. from the surface
 Most evident on freshly isolated  Piliated organisms produce altered
gonococci. appearance of colonies on culture.
 Is loosely associated with cell  Pilli enhance attachment of organism
surface. to host cells & prevent phagocytosis.
 It inhibits phagocytosis.  Act as virulence factor .
 Are made up of pillin proteins.
 Pillin proteins are antigenically
different in almost all strains.
 A single strain can produce several
antigenically distinct pilli.
3.LIPOOLIGOSACCHARIDE
4.OTHER PROTEINS
(LOS)
 There is absence of long O –  IgA1 protease is produced by
antigenic side chains in the gonococci. It splits and
chemical structure of inactivates IgA which plays a
Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) major role in mucosal defense.
which differentiates it from
lipopolysaccharide of Gram – ve
bacilli.  Two other proteins H8 and Iron
binding protein are also
produced but their role in
 Toxicity in gonococci is due to pathogenicity is unknown.
LOS.
 5. Proteins – The outer membrane antigens ( proteins ) are the
porins.
i. Protein I (por) – Forms pore on surface. Each strain expresses
one type of protein I. It helps in serotyping of gonococci. Two
variants of protein I – IA & IB. Any one strain carries either IA or IB
but not both. 24 serovers of type IA & 32 serovers of type IB.
ii. Protein II (opa) – One part of protein II is in outer membrane & the
rest is exposed on the surface of bacteria. It takes part in adhesion
of bacterium and its attachment to host cell. Type II protein is
present in those strains which form opaque colonies, so it is also
c/a opacity associated protein.
iii. Protein III – is associated with protein I in the formation of pores
on the cell surface & hence plays a role in the exchange of
molecules across the outer membrane.
RESISTANCE PLASMID

 Is very delicate organism  Gonococci contains several


 Readily killed by drying, heat & cryptic plasmids.
antiseptics.
 Is a strict parasite & dies in
1 – 2 hrs in exudate outside  Two other transmissible
the body. plasmids contain genes that
 In culture, the coccus dies in code for beta lactamase which
3 – 4 days but survives in slant
culture at 350C if kept under causes resistance to penicillin.
sterile paraffin oil.
 Cultures – preserved for years
if frozen quickly & stored at – -
- 70 0C.
N.gonorrhoeae is Human pathogen.

Chimpanzees can be infected artificially

Women may remain Asymptomatic

Gonorrhea infection is generally limited to


superficial mucosal surfaces lined by
columnar epithelium.
THE ORGANS & TISSUES INVOLVED
Cervix
Urethra
Rectum
Pharynx
Conjunctiva
Vaginal epithelium – covered with squamous
epithelium not infected
However prepubertal vaginal epithelium is
infected in young girls present with
vulvovaginitis
 Gonorrhea is a Venereal disease.
 The disease is acquired by sexual contact.
 In general incubation period is 2 -8 days.
 In men the disease starts as purulent discharge
containing gonococci in large numbers.
 The disease spreads to prostate, seminal vesicle, and
epididymis.
 In men chronic urethritis may lead to stricture formation.
 The infection may spread to the periurethral tissues,
forming abscesses & multiple discharging sinuses --------
----- “ Watercan perineum”.
CLINICAL PRESENTATION IN
MALES –

 Majority of males present with


acute urethritis with purulent
discharge

 5% of patients carry bacteria


without distress

 Rectal and Pharyngeal


infections are less often
symptomatic
CLINICAL PRESENTATION IN
FEMALES –

 Endocervix infection is the


most common presentation in
women

 Present with vaginal


discharge and Dysuria

 Infection and abscess of


Bartholin and Skene’s glands
– OTHER MANIFESTATIONS

 Peritonitis can spread.


 Fitz Hugh Curtis Syndrome ---
Perihepatic inflammation.
 Disseminated gonococcus
infection
 Painful Joints may lead to
Arthritis
 Fever, Few septic lesions on
the extremities
 Meningitis and Endocarditis
– GONORRHOEA CAN
MANIFEST AS ORAL
INFECTION -

 Changing sexual practices


and oral sex predisposes the
sex partners with involvement
of oropharengeal regions
– DISSEMINATED INFECTION -

 Seen more commonly in


women who may present
with painful joints, fever, and
few septic lesions or the
extremities

 Rarely disseminated
infections may present as
endocarditis or meningitis
1. SPECIMENS -
• Discharge or urethral swab,
Endocervical swab –
- The meatus is cleaned with a gauze
soaked in saline & a sample of the
discharge collected with a platinum
loop for culture, or directly on the slide
for smears.
- Cervical swabs are collected carefully,
using speculum.
- In chronic cases morning drop of
secretion is examined.
- Centrifuged deposits of urine also
demonstrate gonococci.
TRANSPORTATION OF SPECIMENS -

• It is preferred in culture, specimens


should be inoculated in prewarmed
plates,immeditely on collection

• If not possible specimen should be


collected on charcoal impregnated
swabs and sent to laboratory in
Stuart’s transport medium.
- MICROSCOPY – GRAM STAINING
• Gram’s method of staining is sensitive
in 95% of infections.
• The demonstration of intracellular
Gram negative diplococci in stained
smears provides a presumptive
evidence of gonorrhea in men.
• Diagnosis of gonorrhoea by smear
exam. is unreliable in females.
• Specimens are inoculated onto culture
plates freshly prepared.
• Delay in inoculation of specimens on
culture media reduces the rate of
isolation.
- CULTURE -

• Gonococci are aerobic and may grow


aerobically.

• It is essential to provide 5 – 10% CO2.

• They grow well on Chocolate agar and


Mueller – Hinton agar.

• The colonies are small, convex,


translucent, and slightly umbonate
with finely granular surface and lobate
margins.
- SELECTIVE CULTURE MEDIUM
-

• The selective medium is


Thayer – Martin medium
containing Vancomycin,
colistin, and Nystatin,
effectively inhibits most
contaminants including non
pathogenic Neisseria
- SEROLOGY -
• Complement fixation test
• Precipitation Reaction
• Passive agglutination Using whole cell lysate, pilus protein
• Immunofluorescence & lipopolysaccharide Ags.
• Radioimmunoassay
• Coagglutination

- Biochemical Tests –
• Catalase Test - +ve, Oxidase Test - +ve
• Ferments glucose with acid production. Maltose not fermented.
- MOLECULAR METHODS -

• DNA probes can be used


for confirmation, and also
used for the detection of
Gonococci in urethral and
cervical specimens.

• PCR methods are


available in specialized
laboratories
- PENICILLIN -

 Was a popularly used antibiotic.

 However resistance has reduced


its utility.

 For a long time the drug


resistance has overcome with
increased dosage.

 Complete resistance to penicillin


has made the drug obsolete in
several parts of the world.
- PENICILLIN - GENES CODE
RESISTANCE

 The penicillin resistant strains


possess the gene coding for TEM-
type ß-lactamase commonly found
in Escherichia coli.
- OTHER DRUGS USED -

 Ceftriaxone
 Cefixime
 Flouroquinolones
 Ciprofloxin
 Tetracycline
 Co-Amoxi - clav
 Spectinomycin

In Disseminated Gonococcal disease and any complicated infection


treatment for 7-10 days is necessary
 The key control measures in gonorrhea are -
1 Rapid diagnosis
2 Use of effective antibiotics
3 Tracing, examination and treatment of
contacts.
4 Inappropriate self medication has contributed
to widespread antimicrobial resistance.
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