Competition between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Staphylococcus epidermidis during iron-limited or replete continuous culture |
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Authors: | C William Keevil Brendan J Spillane |
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Institution: | Pathogenic Microbes Research Laboratory, PHLS Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, Salisbury, U.K. |
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Abstract: | Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain P9-2 was grown in iron-limited or replete continuous culture at a dilution rate of 0.05 h-1, in the presence and absence of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Gonococci maintained expression of pili (P+) and the transparent colony phenotype in pure culture during transitions of iron- and cystine-limited growth. They competed well with staphylococci during iron-limited co-culture and comprised greater than 95% of the population. Transition to cystine-limited growth allowed the staphylococcus to predominate but the gonococcus did not wash out. Furthermore, the gonococcal opaque colony phenotype (O+), indicating synthesis of outer membrane proteins II, was now expressed. Restoration of iron limitation returned the co-culture to its original composition but with P+O+ gonococci dominating. These results suggest that environments might exist in Man where gonococci can compete successfully with normal indigenous bacteria during infection. |
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Keywords: | Neisseria gonorrhoeae Continuous culture Iron limitation |
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