CHARACTERIZATION OF NEISSERIA-GONORRHOEAE IN SEMEN DURING URETHRAL INFECTION IN MEN

Objective: To determine the number of Neisseria gonorrhoeae organisms in urine and semen in men with gonococcal urethritis, and to compare s elected phenotypic characteristics of organisms harvested from the ure thra and semen. Design: Samples from two groups of subjects were exami ned. Patients with symptomatic urethritis receiving treatment at an ST D clinic, as well as six subjects with experimental urethritis. Semen and urine specimens were obtained after the urethral exudate was sampl ed. Results: Using quantitative cultures, we found an average of 6 x 1 0(6) gonococci in urine or semen of 17 men with symptomatic urethritis seeking treatment at an STD clinic, and 2 x 10(4) gonococci in secret ions of six male subjects with early experimental infection. Gonococca l outer membrane opacity (Opa) proteins and lipo-oligosaccharide (LOS) recovered from urine and semen of these subjects were very similar. C onclusions: Men with symptomatic gonorrhoea excrete a large number of gonococci in semen which is not affected by the duration of symptoms. The similar phenotype of organisms in urine and semen suggests the bac teria come from the same compartment. These data help to explain the e fficiency of gonococcal transmission from men to their partners, and i dentify an appropriate target for a preventative vaccine or immunother apy designed to reduce the inoculum in infected patients.