What I mean to say is, I was assigned gonorrhea (Genus species Nesseria gonorrheae) for a "Bacterial Profile" project for my Microbiology class. If you're interested in a jargon filled report about the most prevalent bacterial Sexually Transmitted Disease in the Whole World, look no further.
The eubacterium Neisseria gonorrheae is a pathogenic diplococcus bacterium that causes the disease gonorrhea and is commonly known as “the clap.” It has a gram-negative cell wall composed of an outer membrane, a thin layer of peptidoglycan, and a plasma membrane. In between these membranes is a periplasmic space. The outer membrane is typical of gram-negative morphology and consists of porins, lipoproteins and lipopolysaccharides, although the genus demonstrates a unique lipopolysaccaride arrangement that is sometimes referred to lipooligosaccharide. The pathogen reproduces by binary fission.
The gonococcus is a mesophile that incubated best between 35 and 38O C. The pathogen is relatively weak and, even though it is aerobic, is unable to survive more than two hours outside a host. The gonococcus has hydrophilic porins in its plasma membrane that allows nutrients and other solutes to enter the cell. N. gonorrheae is a fastidious chemoheterotroph, and its growth in lab requires special defined media. Other requirements include high humidity and enriched atmospheric CO2. While the microbe infects tissues primarily infected by anaerobic microbes, its metabolism of glucose, its primary source of carbon and energy, is aerobic. N. gonorrheae does not metabolize maltose, sucrose or lactose.
The gonococcus has fimbriae that function in adhesion to other gonococci cells and to host epithelial cells. The fimbriae is the main factor in the virulence of this pathogen. The pathogen adheres to the epithelial cells of the urethra, cervix, pharynx, rectum and conjunctiva. Once established, they invade the underlying tissue. The unusual wall structure of the cell also aids in pathogenicity; the cell wall aids in tissue invasion and immune system evasion. Typical symptoms are a smelly discharge from the affected area, and, in the case of urethral infection, pain during urination. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other tissues, usually the joints and skin, and in serious cases, the lining of the heart and central nervous system. Untreated infections in females can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and, in both sexes, to sterility. An estimated 10% of males and 50% of females are asymptomatic. It is the existence of these carriers that are responsible for the ongoing prevalence of this disease. Once inoculation occurs, the incubation period is between two and six days for urogenital infections. The incubation period seems to be longer (up to thirty days) if the portal of entry is any of the other susceptible membranes. The disease is easily prevented with the use of condoms. It is treated with a course of antibiotics, however, gonococcus has shown growing resistance to fluoroquinolone, and these antibiotics are therefore not recommended for treatment. Patients do not develop immunity to infection, so it is possible for serial infections to occur.
Gonorrhea is a communicable disease whose transmission is almost exclusively through direct sexual contact, although it can be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth. Gonorrhea reached epidemic levels in the late 1960s and early 1970 due to relaxing social mores surrounding sex and the availability of oral contraceptives. It has since declined and plateaued to reported incidence of new infections of about 350,000 in the US in 2006, or about 120 infections per 100,000 people. Because many cases are asymptomatic or result in non-specific symptoms, it is believed that many infections go unreported or are misdiagnosed, and these numbers therefore represent as little as half of the actual new infections in the US each year. World wide it is estimated that there are as many as 62 million new infections each year.
The eubacterium Neisseria gonorrheae is a pathogenic diplococcus bacterium that causes the disease gonorrhea and is commonly known as “the clap.” It has a gram-negative cell wall composed of an outer membrane, a thin layer of peptidoglycan, and a plasma membrane. In between these membranes is a periplasmic space. The outer membrane is typical of gram-negative morphology and consists of porins, lipoproteins and lipopolysaccharides, although the genus demonstrates a unique lipopolysaccaride arrangement that is sometimes referred to lipooligosaccharide. The pathogen reproduces by binary fission.
The gonococcus is a mesophile that incubated best between 35 and 38O C. The pathogen is relatively weak and, even though it is aerobic, is unable to survive more than two hours outside a host. The gonococcus has hydrophilic porins in its plasma membrane that allows nutrients and other solutes to enter the cell. N. gonorrheae is a fastidious chemoheterotroph, and its growth in lab requires special defined media. Other requirements include high humidity and enriched atmospheric CO2. While the microbe infects tissues primarily infected by anaerobic microbes, its metabolism of glucose, its primary source of carbon and energy, is aerobic. N. gonorrheae does not metabolize maltose, sucrose or lactose.
The gonococcus has fimbriae that function in adhesion to other gonococci cells and to host epithelial cells. The fimbriae is the main factor in the virulence of this pathogen. The pathogen adheres to the epithelial cells of the urethra, cervix, pharynx, rectum and conjunctiva. Once established, they invade the underlying tissue. The unusual wall structure of the cell also aids in pathogenicity; the cell wall aids in tissue invasion and immune system evasion. Typical symptoms are a smelly discharge from the affected area, and, in the case of urethral infection, pain during urination. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other tissues, usually the joints and skin, and in serious cases, the lining of the heart and central nervous system. Untreated infections in females can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and, in both sexes, to sterility. An estimated 10% of males and 50% of females are asymptomatic. It is the existence of these carriers that are responsible for the ongoing prevalence of this disease. Once inoculation occurs, the incubation period is between two and six days for urogenital infections. The incubation period seems to be longer (up to thirty days) if the portal of entry is any of the other susceptible membranes. The disease is easily prevented with the use of condoms. It is treated with a course of antibiotics, however, gonococcus has shown growing resistance to fluoroquinolone, and these antibiotics are therefore not recommended for treatment. Patients do not develop immunity to infection, so it is possible for serial infections to occur.
Gonorrhea is a communicable disease whose transmission is almost exclusively through direct sexual contact, although it can be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth. Gonorrhea reached epidemic levels in the late 1960s and early 1970 due to relaxing social mores surrounding sex and the availability of oral contraceptives. It has since declined and plateaued to reported incidence of new infections of about 350,000 in the US in 2006, or about 120 infections per 100,000 people. Because many cases are asymptomatic or result in non-specific symptoms, it is believed that many infections go unreported or are misdiagnosed, and these numbers therefore represent as little as half of the actual new infections in the US each year. World wide it is estimated that there are as many as 62 million new infections each year.
