Iron and outer membrane proteins in the susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis to human serum.
The proportion of carrier-isolated Neisseria meningitidis strains sensitive to human serum (37.2%) was found to be significantly higher than that of case-isolated ones (4.1%), although the difference is too low to consider serum-resistance responsible for invasion in this microorganism. Serum-susceptibility was not related to the existence of specific outer membrane proteins, as is the case of N. gonorrhoeae. Iron restriction induced iron-regulated outer membrane proteins in each strain (but not the same proteins in all strains) but without any detectable effect on serum-susceptibility. Iron excess was also unable to induce changes in the susceptibility of N. meningitidis to human serum.
Criado
M T
MT
Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
del Río
M C
MC
Ferreirós
C M
CM
Pintor
M
M
Sáinz
V
V
Carballo
J
J
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000382:microbiology
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D007501:Iron