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Biology of the Gonococcus: Disease and Pathogenesis

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Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1997))

Abstract

Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection is a major public health problem worldwide. The increasing incidence of gonorrhea coupled with global spread of multidrug-resistant isolates of gonococci has ushered in an era of potentially untreatable infection. Gonococcal disease elicits limited immunity, and individuals are susceptible to repeated infections. In this chapter, we describe gonococcal disease and epidemiology and the structure and function of major surface components involved in pathogenesis. We also discuss the mechanisms that gonococci use to evade host immune responses and the immune responses following immunization with selected bacterial components that may overcome evasion. Understanding the biology of the gonococcus may aid in preventing the spread of gonorrhea and also facilitate the development of gonococcal vaccines and treatments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Jutamas Shaughnessy, Sanjay Ram & Peter A. Rice

Authors
  1. Jutamas Shaughnessy
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  2. Sanjay Ram
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  3. Peter A. Rice
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Correspondence to Peter A. Rice .

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  1. Molecular Microbiology Group, Academic Unit of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Myron Christodoulides

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Shaughnessy, J., Ram, S., Rice, P.A. (2019). Biology of the Gonococcus: Disease and Pathogenesis. In: Christodoulides, M. (eds) Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1997. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9496-0_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9496-0_1

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