Article
Microbiology
Xuechun Li, Wenjing Le, Xiangdi Lou, Caroline A. Genco, Peter A. Rice, Xiaohong Su
Summary: Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates collected in Nanjing, China that showed decreased susceptibility or resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) were found to have varying susceptibility to ertapenem. The study also identified genetic determinants of ESC resistance and analyzed associations with ertapenem susceptibility. The findings suggest that ertapenem may be an effective therapy for ESC-resistant isolates with identifiable resistance determinants.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Maira Goytia, Crista B. Wadsworth
Summary: The increasing antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae poses a direct threat to global public health. Studying nonpathogenic commensal Neisseria can provide insights into resistance mechanisms and help in monitoring and research on pathogenic Neisseria.
Article
Microbiology
Eve Bernet, Marthe Lebughe, Antony T. Vincent, Mohammad Mehdi Haghdoost, Golara Golbaghi, Steven Laplante, Annie Castonguay, Frederic J. Veyrier
Summary: The study suggests that a boron-based salt, sodium tetraphenylborate (NaBPh4), displays high bactericidal activity against Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, with limited impact on closely related commensal species. The drug candidate's target(s) are likely located intracellularly or within the cell envelope, and mutants with decreased susceptibility show reduced virulence. This narrow selectivity of NaBPh4 is observed to have potential therapeutic importance.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Ameeta E. Singh, Jasmine Pawa, Kethika Kulleperuma, Errol Prasad, Sonia Marchand, K. Dionne, Maxim Trubnikov, Tom Wong, Michael R. Mulvey, Irene Martin
Summary: This study confirms the feasibility of conducting AMR surveillance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Nunavut, Canada, and highlights the diversity of gonococcal sequence types and geographic variation of AMR patterns in the territory.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xuechun Li, Wenjing Le, Xiangdi Lou, Biwei Wang, Caroline A. Genco, Peter A. Rice, Xiaohong Su
Summary: The study demonstrated that gentamicin showed excellent in vitro susceptibility against clinical gonococcal isolates, including multidrug-resistant strains. Combinations of gentamicin with ertapenem, ceftriaxone, and azithromycin exhibited synergistic effects against certain multidrug-resistant isolates, with no antagonism observed in any of the antimicrobial combinations, showing potential for guiding clinical testing of combination therapies.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Tatum D. Mortimer
Summary: A recent study found a single nucleotide variant in Neisseria gonorrhoeae that reduces binding to a virulence factor, resulting in increased expression. This variant frequently co-occurs with mutations that reduce expression of another repressor, leading to increased antimicrobial resistance. Surprisingly, these co-occurring mutations were found in isolates from the preantibiotic era, suggesting the influence of independent pressures.
Article
Immunology
Emily Rowlinson, Olusegun O. Soge, James P. Hughes, Anna Berzkalns, Christina Thibault, Roxanne P. Kerani, Christine M. Khosropour, Lisa E. Manhart, Matthew R. Golden, Lindley A. Barbee
Summary: Recent individual-level azithromycin treatment is associated with subsequent azithromycin-resistant gonococcal infections, possibly due to the long half-life and persistence of subtherapeutic levels of azithromycin resulting in the selection of resistant strains.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Magnus N. Osnes, Lucy van Dorp, Ola B. Brynildsrud, Kristian Alfsnes, Thamarai Schneiders, Kate E. Templeton, Koji Yahara, Francois Balloux, Dominique A. Caugant, Vegard Eldholm
Summary: A study on Neisseria gonorrhoeae multilocus sequence type (ST) 1901 found that this lineage is commonly associated with treatment failure, particularly due to alleles linked to reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). The genetic diversity of ST-1901 was classified into minor and major clades, both originating in East Asia and dispersing globally in waves, with one clade acquiring a gene that significantly reduces susceptibility to ESCs. Despite declining effective population sizes, the lineage has become a reservoir for clones resistant to ceftriaxone, a key drug for gonorrhea treatment.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Valeria Gaspari, Marielle Ezekielle Djusse, Sara Morselli, Luca Rapparini, Claudio Foschi, Simone Ambretti, Tiziana Lazzarotto, Bianca Maria Piraccini, Antonella Marangoni
Summary: Commensal Neisseria species in the oropharynx may serve as an important reservoir for multi-drug resistant gonorrhea, particularly in men having sex with men (MSM). We evaluated the antimicrobial susceptibility of non-pathogenic Neisseria species isolated from the oropharynx of MSM attending a sexually transmitted infection clinic in Bologna, Italy, and a general population of males. The study found that MSM had higher rates of resistance to azithromycin and ciprofloxacin compared to the general population, highlighting the potential risk of the spread of multi-drug resistant gonorrhea.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Qian Zhou, Jingwei Liu, Shaochun Chen, Wenqi Xu, Yan Han, Yueping Yin
Summary: The meta-analysis shows that the C2611T mutation in the 23S rRNA of N. gonorrhoeae is valuable for molecular diagnostics of moderate-level azithromycin resistance, particularly when the moderate level is set at 4-128 mg/L. This rapid molecular detection method can be used for rapid identification of drug-resistant isolates in clinical settings.
Article
Microbiology
Elvis Achondou Akomoneh, Jolein Gyonne Elise Laumen, Said Abdellati, Christophe Van Dijck, Thibau Vanbaelen, Xavier Basil Britto, Sheeba S. Manoharan-Basil, Chris Kenyon
Summary: This study investigated the inhibitory effect of oropharyngeal microbiota and Listerine mouthwash on the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. It found that certain bacteria had inhibitory activity against these pathogens, but daily use of Listerine did not decrease their prevalence.
Article
Microbiology
Tsung-Ying Yang, Sung-Pin Tseng, Han-Chen Ho, Li-Hsuan Chen, Po-Ren Hsueh, Po-Liang Lu, Chia-Hsuan Lin, Liang-Chun Wang
Summary: This study evaluated the anti-gonococcal activity of a compound called AS101 and its underlying mechanisms. The results showed that AS101 possesses remarkable anti-gonococcal activity, making it a potential antimicrobial for the treatment of gonorrhea.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Julio C. Ayala, Matthew W. Schmerer, Ellen N. Kersh, Magnus Unemo, William M. Shafer
Summary: We report the frequent appearance of a novel SNP in the gdhR gene possessed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which results in enhanced expression of a virulence gene and is associated with a mutation in the promoter of a repressor gene. This frequent association suggests a link between virulence and antibiotic resistance properties in contemporary gonococcal strains.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ronza Hadad, Michelle Jayne Cole, Samantha Ebeyan, Susanne Jacobsson, Lit Yeen Tan, Daniel Golparian, Simon Erskine, Michaela Day, David Whiley, Magnus Unemo
Summary: Accurate molecular assays for prediction of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)/susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae can offer individualized treatment of gonorrhoea and enhanced AMR surveillance. The new SpeeDx ResistancePlus (R) GC assay performed well in the detection of Ng and AMR determinants, especially in urogenital samples. The GC 23S 2611 (beta) assay performed relatively well, but its sensitivity, especially for predicting phenotypic azithromycin resistance, was suboptimal and further optimizations are required.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Concerta L. Holley, Vijaya Dhulipala, Jacqueline T. Balthazar, Adriana Le Van, Afrin A. Begum, Shao-Chun Chen, Timothy D. Read, Mitch Matoga, Irving F. Hoffman, Daniel Golparian, Magnus Unemo, Ann E. Jerse, William M. Shafer
Summary: A new drug-resistant mutation, fusA2, has been identified, which increases resistance of gonococci to gentamicin, but may result in fitness defects during experimental infection. Furthermore, analysis of whole-genome sequences revealed that other fusA alleles do not possess the same ability to decrease gentamicin susceptibility.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anandhi Anandan, Genevieve L. Evans, Karmen Condic-Jurkic, Megan L. O'Mara, Constance M. John, Nancy J. Phillips, Gary A. Jarvis, Siobhan S. Wills, Keith A. Stubbs, Isabel Moraes, Charlene M. Kahler, Alice Vrielink
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2017)
Review
Immunology
Constance M. John, Nancy J. Phillips, Daniel C. Stein, Gary A. Jarvis
PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2017)
Article
Microbiology
Jian Lin Li, Ningjing Yang, Lei Huang, Dandan Chen, Yu Zhao, M. Matt Tang, Huizhou Fan, Xiaofeng Bao
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2018)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Constance M. John, Dongxiao Feng, Gary A. Jarvis
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2018)
Article
Immunology
Huizhou Fan, Guangming Zhong
MICROBES AND INFECTION
(2018)
Article
Microbiology
Malhar Desai, Wurihan Wurihan, Rong Di, Joseph D. Fondell, Bryce E. Nickels, Xiaofeng Bao, Huizhou Fan
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katja Brunner, Constance M. John, Nancy J. Phillips, Dagmar G. Alber, Matthew R. Gemmell, Richard Hansen, Hans L. Nielsen, Georgina L. Hold, Mona Bajaj-Elliott, Gary A. Jarvis
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huirong Zhang, Sangeevan Vellappan, M. Matt Tang, Xiaofeng Bao, Huizhou Fan
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Malhar Desai, Rong Di, Huizhou Fan
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Wurihan Wurihan, Yehong Huang, Alec M. Weber, Xiang Wu, Huizhou Fan
PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Wurihan Wurihan, Alec M. Weber, Zheng Gong, Zhongzi Lou, Samantha Sun, Jizhang Zhou, Huizhou Fan
Summary: The study demonstrates the important roles of GrgA in the chlamydial developmental cycle by regulating the expression of 066-dependent genes and 028-dependent genes, impacting the replication and spread of the obligate intracellular bacterium.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Yehong Huang, Wurihan Wurihan, Bin Lu, Yi Zou, Yuxuan Wang, Korri Weldon, Joseph D. Fondell, Zhao Lai, Xiang Wu, Huizhou Fan
Summary: C. trachomatis reprograms its transcriptome to facilitate protein folding, increase energy production, manipulate host activities, and decrease general protein synthesis in response to stress. Heat shock also leads to changes in various σ factors and other genes in C. trachomatis, indicating a unique regulatory mechanism.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew Cheng, Danny Wan, Arkaprabha Ghatak, Chengyuan Wang, Deyu Feng, Joseph D. Fondell, Richard H. Ebright, Huizhou Fan
Summary: This study identifies the hypothetical protein CTL0286 as the probable chlamydial omega subunit, and demonstrates its critical role in the assembly and function of chlamydial RNA polymerase. This finding provides insights into the regulation of gene expression in Chlamydia and opens up new avenues for understanding its growth and stress response mechanisms.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bin Lu, Qi Qiao, Elizabeth R. Park, Yuxuan Wang, John A. Gilleran, Matthew Pan, Daniel S. Pilch, Xiang Wu, Jacques Y. Roberge, Huizhou Fan
Summary: Two new generations of selective antichlamydials have been identified, which are more potent and less toxic to beneficial bacteria and human cells. Further evaluation for therapeutic application is warranted.
Article
Biology
Malhar Desai, Huirong Zhang, Huizhou Fan
BMC RESEARCH NOTES
(2020)