Neisseria gonorrhoeae

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Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as Gonococci (plural), or Gonococcus (singular), is a species of Gram-negative

Gram-negative

Gram-negative bacteria are those bacteria that do not retain crystal violet dye in the Gram staining protocol. In a Gram stain test, a counterstain is added after the crystal violet, coloring all Gram-negative bacteria with a red or pink color....
kidney bean-shaped diplococci bacteria

Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
responsible for the sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease

A sexually transmitted disease , also known as sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex....
gonorrhoea.

N. gonorrhoeae was first described by Albert Neisser in 1879.

Microbiology
Neisseria
Neisseria

Neisseria is a genus of Gram bacterium included among the proteobacteria, a large group of Gram-negative forms. Neisseria are Diplococcus that resemble coffee beans when viewed microscopically....
are fastidious cocci, requiring nutrient supplementation to grow in laboratory cultures.

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Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as Gonococci (plural), or Gonococcus (singular), is a species of Gram-negative

Gram-negative

Bacteria

Sexually transmitted disease

Microbiology

Neisseria
Neisseria

Neisseria is a genus of Gram bacterium included among the proteobacteria, a large group of Gram-negative forms. Neisseria are Diplococcus that resemble coffee beans when viewed microscopically....
are fastidious cocci, requiring nutrient supplementation to grow in laboratory cultures. Specifically, they grow on Chocolate agar

Chocolate agar

Chocolate agar - is a non-selective, enriched growth medium. It is a variant of the blood agar plate. It contains red blood cells, which have been lysed by heating very slowly to 56 ?C....
with carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
. These cocci are facultatively intracellular and typically appear in pairs (diplococci).

Neisseria is usually isolated on Thayer-Martin agar

Thayer-Martin agar

Thayer-Martin agar is a Mueller-Hinton agar with 5% chocolate sheep blood and antibiotics. It is used for culturing and primarily isolating Neisseria bacteria, including Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis, as the medium inhibits the growth of most other microorganisms....
— an agar plate

Agar plate

An agar plate is a sterile Petri dish that contains a growth medium used to Microbiological culture microorganisms or small plants like the moss Physcomitrella patens....
with three different antibiotic

Antibiotic

In common usage, an antibiotic is a substance or compound that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics belong to the group of antimicrobial compounds used to treat infections caused by microorganisms, including fungus and protozoa....
s and nutrients which not only facilitate the growth of Neisseria species, but inhibit the growth of Gram-positive

Gram-positive

Gram-positive Bacteria are those that are stained dark blue or violet by Gram staining. This is in contrast to Gram-negative bacteria, which cannot retain the crystal violet stain, instead taking up the counterstain and appearing red or pink....
organisms and most bacilli and fungi. Further testing to differentiate the species includes testing for oxidase

Oxidase

An oxidase is any enzyme that catalyst an redox reaction involving molecular oxygen as the electron acceptor. In these reactions, oxygen is reduced to water or hydrogen peroxide ....
(all Neisseria show a positive reaction) and the carbohydrates maltose

Maltose

Maltose, or malt sugar, is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with an a linkage. It is the second member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains....
, sucrose

Sucrose

Sucrose is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose, with the molecular formula C12H22O11. Its systematic name is a-D-glucopyranosyl- -?-D-fructofuranoside ....
, and glucose

Glucose

Glucose , a monosaccharide also known as grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is a very important carbohydrate in biology....
test in which N. gonorrhoeae will only oxidize (that is, utilize) the glucose.

Disease

Symptoms of infection with N. gonorrhoeae differ depending on the site of infection.

Infection of the genitals can result in a purulent (or pus

Pus

Pus is a whitish-yellow, yellow or yellow-brown substance produced during inflammatory pyogenic bacteriuml infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess....
-like) discharge from the genitals which may be foul smelling, inflammation, redness, swelling, dysuria and a burning sensation during urination

Urination

Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, and, more rarely, emiction, is the process of disposing urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body....
.

N. gonorrhoeae can also cause conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva , most commonly due to an allergic reaction or an infection ....
, pharyngitis

Pharyngitis

Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the throat or pharynx. In most cases it is painful, and thus is often referred to as a sore throat. Inflammation of the tonsils and/or larynx occur simultaneously, which can make eating difficult or painful....
, proctitis

Proctitis

Proctitis is an inflammation of the anus and the lining of the rectum, affecting only the last 6 inches of the rectum....
or urethritis

Urethritis

Urethritis is inflammation of the urethra. The main symptom is dysuria, which is painful or difficult urination....
, prostatitis

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland, in men. A prostatitis diagnosis is assigned at 8% of all urologist and 1% of all primary care physician visits in the United States....
and orchitis

Orchitis

Orchitis or Orchiditis is an often very painful condition of the testicles involving inflammation, swelling and frequently infection. It should be taken very seriously and a doctor should be seen as soon as possible....
.

Conjunctivitis is common in neonates and Silver nitrate

Silver nitrate

Silver nitrate, also known as lunar caustic, is a soluble chemical compound with chemical formula silverNitrogenOxygen3. This compound is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography....
or antibiotics are often applied to their eyes as a preventive measure against gonorrhoea. Neonatal gonorrheal conjunctivitis is contracted when the infant is exposed to N. gonorrhoeae in the birth canal, and can result in corneal scarring or perforation.

Disseminated N. gonorrhoeae infections can occur, resulting in endocarditis

Endocarditis

Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves . Other structures which may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendinae, the mural endocardium, or even on intracardiac devices....
, meningitis

Meningitis

Meningitis is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges....
or gonococcal dermatitis-arthritis syndrome. Dermatitis-arthritis syndrome presents with arthralgia

Arthralgia

Arthralgia literally means joint pain; it is a symptom of injury, infection, illnesses or an allergic reaction to medication.According to MeSH, the term "arthralgia" should only be used when the condition is non-inflammatory, and the term "arthritis" should be used when the condition is inflammatory....
, tenosynovitis

Tenosynovitis

Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon. Symptoms of tenosynovitis include pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the particular joint where the inflammation occurs....
and painless non-pruritic dermatitis

Dermatitis

Dermatitis is a blanket term meaning any "inflammation of the skin" . There are several different types of dermatitis. The different kinds usually have in common an allergic reaction to specific allergens....
.

Infection of the genitals in females with N. gonorrhoeae can result in pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the female uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with Adhesion to nearby tissues and organs....
if left untreated, which can result in infertility. Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the female uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with Adhesion to nearby tissues and organs....
results if N. gonorrhoeae travels into the pelvic peritoneum (via the cervix, endometrium and fallopian tubes).

Treatment

If N. gonorrhoeae is resistant

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of antibiotics. It is a specific type of drug resistance. Antibiotic resistance evolves via natural selection acting upon random mutation, but it can also be engineered by applying an evolutionary stress on a population....
to the penicillin

Penicillin

Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They are Beta-lactam antibiotics used in the treatment of bacterial infections caused by susceptible, usually Gram-positive, organisms....
family of antibiotics, then ceftriaxone

Ceftriaxone

Ceftriaxone is a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic. Like other third-generation cephalosporins, it has broad spectrum activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria....
(a third-generation cephalosporin

Cephalosporin

The cephalosporins are a class of beta-lactam antibiotic originally derived from Acremonium, which was previously known as "Cephalosporium"....
) is often used. Sexual partners should also be notified and treated.

Patients should also be tested for other sexually transmitted infections, especially Chlamydia infections, since co-infection is frequent.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Microbiology

Disease

Treatment

See also:

External links