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Effect of Subinhibitory Concentrations of Antibiotics on Surface Proteins of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis: Changes that Alter Attachment to Human Cells

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The Influence of Antibiotics on the Host-Parasite Relationship II

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Abstract

Studies of antibiotic-bacteria interactions have focused upon concentrations of antibiotics that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Recent studies have shown that antibiotics in concentrations which fail to inhibit growth nonetheless may have marked effects on the structural characteristics of bacteria [1–5]. The changes resulting from exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics may alter virulence rather than growth of the bacteria [6–10]. These results suggest that subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics, whose modes of action are well known, can be used to examine the production, structure or function of bacterial surface components that are important in virulence. We used subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics as probes to study the surface proteins of pathogenic Neisseria spp. that are important mediators of meningococcal and gonococcal attachment to human cells [11,12].

This work was supported by the Medical Research Service of the Veterans Administration and by Public Health Research grant AI 19818 and AI 20265 from the National Institutes of Health

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Veterans Administration Medical Center (Atlanta), Decatur, Georgia, 30033, USA

    D. S. Stephens

  2. Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303, USA

    D. S. Stephens

  3. Center for Infectious Diseases, Diagnostic Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84132, USA

    Zell A. McGee

Authors
  1. D. S. Stephens
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  2. Zell A. McGee
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kinderklinik der Universität München, Lindwurmstraße 4, 8000, München 2, Germany

    Dieter Adam

  2. Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 27, 1000, Berlin 45, Germany

    Helmut Hahn

  3. Abteilung für Theoretische und Klinische Medizin, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 4630, Bochum 1, Germany

    Wolfgang Opferkuch

  4. Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 4630, Bochum 1, Germany

    Wolfgang Opferkuch

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© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Stephens, D.S., McGee, Z.A. (1985). Effect of Subinhibitory Concentrations of Antibiotics on Surface Proteins of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis: Changes that Alter Attachment to Human Cells. In: Adam, D., Hahn, H., Opferkuch, W. (eds) The Influence of Antibiotics on the Host-Parasite Relationship II. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70748-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70748-3_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-70750-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-70748-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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