Red Blood Cells, a Source of Factors which Induce Neisseria gonorrhoeae to Resistance to Complement-mediated Killing by Human Serum

• Published in: Journal of general microbiology Vol. 130; no. 11; pp. 2767 - 2770
• Main Authors: Patel, P. V, Martin, P. M. V, Goldner, M, Parsons, N. J, Smith, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Soc General Microbiol 01.11.1984; New York, NY Cambridge University Press
• Subjects: Animals; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Bactericidal Activity; Complement System Proteins - immunology; Erythrocytes - analysis; Erythrocytes - immunology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glycopeptides - blood; Glycopeptides - immunology; Guinea Pigs; Humans; Microbiology; Molecular Weight; Neisseria gonorrhoeae - immunology; Neisseria gonorrhoeae - pathogenicity; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Ultrafiltration; Human origin; Resistance; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Ultrafiltration; Induction; Neisseriaceae; Pathogen strain; Red blood cell; Bacteria; Serum; Molecular weight
• ISSN: 0022-1287; 1350-0872; 1465-2080
• DOI: 10.1099/00221287-130-11-2767

1 Department of Microbiology, University of Birmingham, PO Box 363, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK 2 Unité d'Ecologie bactérienne, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France 3 Department of Microbiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada ABSTRACT SUMMARY: Lysates of guinea pig or human red blood cells (RBC) contain far more of the factors that induce resistance in gonococci to complement-mediated killing by fresh human serum than do plasma or serum. As was previously found with serum, most of the resistance-inducing activity of guinea pig RBC lysates was found in ultrafiltrates with molecular weights of less than 5000. In contrast, and as with human serum, most of the resistance-inducing activity of human RBC lysates did not pass ultrafilters which removed molecules of less than 5000 daltons, although some active material of low molecular weight was present.