urethritis/protease

Many mucosal pathogens, including Neisseria gonorrhoeae, produce proteases that cleave immunoglobulin A (IgA), the predominant immunoglobulin class produced at mucosal surfaces. While considerable circumstantial evidence suggests that IgA1 protease contributes to gonococcal virulence, there is no

Defensins are key participants in mucosal innate defense. The varied antimicrobial activity and differential distribution of defensins at mucosal sites indicate that peptide repertoires are tailored to site-specific innate defense requirements. Nonetheless, few studies have investigated changes in

Acetone-killed Mycobacterium leprae separated from infected armadillo liver tissue without the use of proteases were treated with 0.2 M lithium acetate, 20 mM EDTA, pH 8.8 solution, and the concentrated antigen extract was analyzed by Ouchterlony immunodiffusion. The antigen extract gave a single

Experimental infection of male volunteers with Neisseria gonorrhoeae is safe and reproduces the clinical features of naturally acquired gonococcal urethritis. Human inoculation studies have helped define the natural history of experimental infection with two well-characterized strains of N.

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted pathogen. The infection is prevalent in reproductive age women and is associated with vaginitis, endometritis, adnexitis, pyosalpinx, infertility, preterm birth, low birth weight, bacterial vaginosis, and increased risk of