This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bash, M. C. Articles by Lynn, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bash, M. C. Articles by Lynn, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2005, p. 1522-1530, Vol. 43, No. 4
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.4.1522-1530.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

por Variable-Region Typing by DNA Probe Hybridization Is Broadly Applicable to Epidemiologic Studies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Margaret C. Bash,^1,2* Peixuan Zhu,^1, Sunita Gulati,³ Durrie McKnew,^1,4 Peter A. Rice,³ and Freyja Lynn¹

Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research,¹ Department of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland,² Evans Biomedical Research Center, Department of Medicine and Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts ,³ Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.⁴

Received 5 May 2004/ Returned for modification 11 August 2004/ Accepted 8 November 2004

The porin gene (porB) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae encodes the major outer membrane protein identified as PI or Por. To examine the utility of por variable-region (VR) typing, porB from 206 isolates was characterized by using oligonucleotide probes in a checkerboard hybridization assay that identifies the sequence types of five VRs of both PIA and PIB porB alleles. The strains represented temporally and geographically distinct isolates, isolates from a large cluster, epidemiologically linked partner isolates, and a collection of strains from disseminated gonococcal infections. By using rigorous epidemiologic criteria for transmission of infection between sex partners, por VR typing was more discriminatory than serovar typing in classifying isolates from both members of 43 epidemiologically linked pairs: 39 of 43 pairs were classified as coinciding by por VR typing compared to 43 of 43 by serovar determination (P = 0.058). porB sequence data confirmed the accuracy of the por VR method. Relationships between VR type and serovar typing monoclonal antibodies were observed for all six PIB and three of six PIA antibodies. por VR typing is a molecular tool that appears to have broad applicability. This method can be adapted to a wide range of technologies from simple hybridization to microarray and may allow for typing from noncultured clinical specimens.

Present address: Creatv MicroTech, Inc., Potomac, MD 20854.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Garvin, L. E., Bash, M. C., Keys, C., Warner, D. M., Ram, S., Shafer, W. M., Jerse, A. E. (2008). Phenotypic and Genotypic Analyses of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates That Express Frequently Recovered PorB PIA Variable Region Types Suggest that Certain P1a Porin Sequences Confer a Selective Advantage for Urogenital Tract Infection. Infect. Immun. 76: 3700-3709 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Liao, M., Bell, K., Gu, W.-M., Yang, Y., Eng, N. F., Fu, W., Wu, L., Zhang, C.-G., Chen, Y., Jolly, A. M., Dillon, J.-A. R. (2008). Clusters of circulating Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains and association with antimicrobial resistance in Shanghai. J Antimicrob Chemother 61: 478-487 [Abstract] [Full Text]