HUMORAL AND CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSES IN GONOCOCCAL DISEASE

淋病是最常见的性传播疾病之一， 我们 淋球菌感染导致严重的发病率。 后遗症 与淋病相关的可能包括盆腔后输卵管瘢痕形成 炎症性疾病，以及随后的异位妊娠增加， 不孕 对这种生物的免疫反应知之甚少 更不知道什么是保护性抗淋球菌抗体 免疫反应 我们有一个性病诊所， 在我们的城市社区建立了一个系统， 良好的接触者追踪和随访。 这些基础设施将允许 我们获得了一组淋球菌感染患者及其 感染和未感染的接触者，以辨别可能的参数， 保护，定义为抗淋球菌免疫反应。 我们 建议测量未感染和感染者的抗体反应， 接触淋球菌感染的病人， 孔蛋白（蛋白质I或Por），淋球菌还原修饰蛋白 （蛋白III或Rmp）和淋球菌脂寡糖（LOS）。 我们将 还测量Por和Rmp刺激离体外周血淋巴细胞的能力。 获得的血液单核细胞（PBMC -主要由淋巴细胞组成） 从这些患者群体中。 抗淋球菌体液和淋巴细胞 受感染接触者的免疫反应将与 未受感染的接触者，以确定是否有任何反应与 潜在的保护免受淋球菌感染。 此外，PBMC 将比较刺激和抗体应答以确定它们是否 是否与PBMC的刺激有关， 对淋球菌抗原的免疫反应的灵敏测量， 抗体生产。 我们将利用患者的T淋巴细胞， T细胞克隆并绘制Por和Rmp特异性T细胞表位。 如果有 未感染者识别的Por和Rmp T细胞表位的差异 与未受感染的接触者相比， 接触者与其感染的主要伴侣相比，我们可以 确定某些表位的识别（或缺乏识别） 与保护免受淋球菌感染有关。 这些潜在 “保护性”T细胞表位可能成为抗淋球菌疫苗 候选人

Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the US. Gonococcal infections cause significant morbidity. Sequelae associated with gonorrhea can include tubal scarring after pelvic inflammatory disease, and subsequent increase in ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Little is known about the immune response to this organism and even less is known about what defines a protective anti-gonococcal immune response. We have a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic that is well established in our urban community with a system in place for excellent contact tracing and follow-up. This infrastructure will allow us to obtain a cohort of patients with gonococcal infection and their infected and uninfected contacts to discern possible parameters of protection as defined by their anti-gonococcal immune response. We propose to measure the antibody response in uninfected and infected contacts to patients with gonococcal infection towards the gonococcal porin (Protein I or Por), the gonococcal reduction modifiable protein (protein III or Rmp), and gonococcal lipooligosaccharide (LOS). We will also measure the ability of Por and Rmp to stimulate isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC - mainly consisting of lymphocytes) obtained from these groups of patients. The anti-gonococcal humoral and lymphocyte immune response in infected contacts will be compared to the response in uninfected contacts to determine if any of the responses correlates to potential protection from gonococcal infection. Moreover, PBMC stimulation and antibody response will be compared to determine if they are associated and whether PBMC stimulation by the proteins is a more sensitive measurement of an immune response to gonococcal antigens than antibody production. We will utilize the patients T lymphocytes to derive T cell clones and map Por and Rmp specific T cell epitopes. If there is a difference in the Por and Rmp T cell epitopes recognized by uninfected contacts as compared to the uninfected contacts and between the uninfected contacts as compared to their infected primary partners, we could then determine if recognition (or lack of recognition) of certain epitopes correlate with protection from gonococcal infection. These potentially "protective" T cell epitopes would be possible anti-gonococcal vaccine candidates.