Disseminated Gonococcal Infections Research Articles

Evaluation of Surveillance System Changes to Improve Detection of Disseminated Gonococcal Infections in Virginia, 2018 to 2021.

Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI), a complication of untreated gonorrhea, is rarely reported through routine surveillance. We sought to improve local surveillance system capacity to estimate and monitor the incidence of DGI in Virginia. We modified surveillance protocols to identify possible DGI cases using information extracted from gonorrhea case reports and performed provider follow-up using standardized case report forms to confirm DGI diagnosis and collect clinical information. Suspect cases included those with a laboratory report indicating sterile site of specimen collection (e.g., blood, synovial fluid) and/or intravenous (IV) treatment. We performed descriptive analyses to summarize the characteristics of suspect and confirmed DGIs and estimated incidence. After piloting protocols in 2018 to 2019, we identified 405 suspect DGI cases from 29,294 gonorrhea cases reported in 2020 to 2021 (1.4%). We initiated investigations for 298 (73.6%) of the suspect cases, received provider responses for 105 (25.9%), and confirmed 19 DGI cases (4.7%). Positive laboratory reports from nonmucosal sites were the most reliable predictor of confirmed DGI status, but most were not confirmed as DGI even when provider follow-up was successful. The confirmed and estimated incidence of DGI were 0.06% and 0.22%, respectively. Sixteen (84%) of the confirmed cases were older than 25 years, 3 (16%) were HIV positive, and approximately half were male and non-Hispanic Black. Most (15 [74%]) were hospitalized, and common manifestations included septic arthritis and bacteremia. We improved surveillance for DGI in Virginia while incurring minor programmatic costs. Additional efforts to improve the completeness and quality of surveillance data for DGI are needed.

Abstract 19189: A Rare Case of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Native Aortic Valve Infective Endocarditis With Development of Gerbode Defect

Introduction: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a devastating condition most commonly caused by gram-positive cocci ( S. aureus , S. viridans , S. gallolyticus , Enterococcus spp.) and gram-negative organisms (e.g. HACEK organisms). We present a case of Native Aortic Valve IE due to disseminated N. Gonorrhea in an immunocompetent patient. Hospital Course: The patient is a 30-year-old female who presented with a chief complaint of subacute chest pain and constitutional symptoms. Echocardiography revealed aortic valve abscess and severe aortic insufficiency with concerns of aorto-atrial fistula. The patient was treated with antibiotics and transferred to our hospital. Upon transfer, the patient was initially stable. Physical exam was notable for a pandiastolic murmur. The patient rapidly deteriorated into cardiogenic and septic shock. TTE revealed aortic root abscess, LVOT-RA fistula (Gerbode defect), and right atrial vegetation. Emergent surgical exploration revealed IE of the aortic valve with destruction of right and non-coronary cusps and vegetation eroding from the base of the aortic root through the membranous septum to the right atrium without tricuspid valve involvement. She underwent successful treatment with debridement and reconstruction. Initial blood cultures were positive for N. gonorrhoeae. The patient was negative for HIV and no gynecologic source was identified. After an extended hospital course, the patient was discharged with IV antibiotics. Discussion & Conclusion: We present a rare case of N. Gonorrhoeae aortic valve endocarditis leading to aortic valve destruction with subsequent abscess and fistulae formation. This case demonstrates a rare and severe consequence of disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI), though the patient was without other manifestations of DGI.

Characterizing the Rise of Disseminated Gonococcal Infections in California, July 2020-July 2021.

California has experienced an increase in reported cases of disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). Given significant morbidity associated with DGI and the ability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to rapidly develop antibiotic resistance, characterization of these cases can inform diagnosis, management, and prevention of DGI. As part of the public health response to increased reports of DGI, we used gonorrhea surveillance data reported to the California Department of Public Health to identify all DGI cases in a geographically-bound region. Standardized case report forms were used to collect epidemiologic risk factors and clinical information obtained from provider/laboratory reports, medical records, and patient interviews. From 1 July 2020 to 31 July 2021, we identified 149 DGI patients among 63 338 total gonorrhea infections, representing 0.24% of gonorrhea cases. Estimated incidence was 0.47 DGI cases per 100 000 person-years. Mean age of DGI patients was 40 years, and 75 (50%) were cisgender men, of whom only 13 were known to have male partners. Where reported, more than one-third (36%) used methamphetamine and nearly one-quarter (23%) experienced homelessness. Clinically, 61% lacked urogenital, pharyngeal, or rectal symptoms; 2 patients died in the hospital. Among 47 isolates from patients with antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results available, all were susceptible to ceftriaxone and cefixime. Most DGI patients lacked urogenital symptoms and were not among populations for which routine gonorrhea screening is currently recommended. Expanding gonorrhea screening might prevent DGI. Cefixime is likely the best option if transitioning from parenteral to oral therapy when AST results are unavailable.

Disseminated Gonococcal Infections in Manitoba, Canada: 2013 to 2020.

Gonorrhea, when left untreated, can enter the blood and cause disseminated gonococcal infections (DGIs). Disseminated gonococcal infections, which can include dermatitis, tenosynovitis, migratory polyarthralgia, and arthritis, have been increasing in Manitoba (MB), Canada, since 2013. Endocarditis, a rare DGI, was identified in 3 MB patients in 2018 and 2019. Antimicrobial resistance, molecular types, and resistance-associated mutations were determined for MB DGI isolates (n = 103) identified from 2013 to 2020 using phenotypic and genotypic methods. Neisseria gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) of residual nucleic acid amplification testing samples (n = 13) from 2019 and 2020 were also determined. The increase in DGI in MB in 2019 and 2020 was due to the NG-MAST 11508 molecular type with porB -2206, a persistent PorB protein structure type "A" allele. These isolates had low-level resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline. Molecular surveillance of gonorrhea and, in particular, gonococcal strains resulting in DGI is imperative to monitor clonal transmission within populations. These data can be used to alert public health of emerging issues and support public health interventions.

Molecular characterisation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae associated with disseminated gonococcal infections in Queensland, Australia: a retrospective surveillance study

ObjectivesGonorrhoea caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the second most notified sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Australia and the case numbers for this STI have been increasing globally. Progressive gonococcal infection...

Index of Suspicion

Index of Suspicion

Genomic homogeneity of the AHU/IA-1,2 phenotype of Neisseria gonorrhoeae during its disappearance from an urban population.

Isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae requiring arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil (AHU) appeared in Denmark in 1946, were preponderant in Seattle during the 1970s, were associated with disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI), and were primarily of the IA-1,2 serovar. To investigate the disappearance of the AHU/IA-1,2 phenotype and to examine by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) the genomic homogeneity of this unique phenotype isolated from Seattle-King County during the past decade. This retrospective study used data extracted from previous publications for the period 1971 through 1984, and from existing records at the Neisseria Reference Laboratory, University of Washington for the period 1985 through 1996. Samples (n = 68) of AHU/IA-1,2 isolates from 1984 to 1985 and 1988 to 1993 were analyzed using endonucleases NheI and XbaI. For comparison, 10 AHU/IB isolates were included in the study. AHU isolates, predominantly IA-1,2 strains accounted for 52% of the gonococcal isolates for the period 1971 through 1974, 40% for 1974 through 1976, 16% for 1984, and then declined from 7% in 1986 to 0% for each of the last 3 years, 1994 through 1996. Isolates with < or = 1 band difference after digestion with either NheI or XbaI were considered to belong to a single closely related pattern. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type designation was made from the combination of NheI and XbaI patterns. These criteria yielded 5 NheI and 8 XbaI PFGE patterns, and 11 PFGE types based on the combination of NheI and XbaI pattern. The most frequently occurring NheI and XbaI patterns accounted for 74% and 57% of isolates, respectively. One type persisted throughout the decade and accounted for 54% of the 68 isolates. Analysis of the 10 AHU/IB isolates yielded 7 NheI and 8 XbaI patterns that gave 9 types that were distinct from the types found in the AHU/IA-1,2 strains. The AHU/IA-1,2 phenotype first documented 50 years ago in Denmark still shows a high degree of genomic homogeneity during the past decade in Seattle. The implementation of screening, decreased rates of sexual exposure in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome era, or other factors may explain its apparent elimination in Seattle-King County.

Strain characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae causing disseminated gonococcal infection in Australia. Members of the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme.

The auxotype (A) and serovar (S) distribution and antibiotic and serum sensitivity of 22 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated from blood and joints were determined. With one exception, these strains from disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI) belonged to one of 4 serovars of the IA serogroup and were resistant to killing by normal human serum. The auxotype distribution of these Australian strains differed significantly from that reported elsewhere in that 17 of the 22 isolates were proline requires, but none were of the AHU auxotype. This lack of the AHU auxotype in the DGI strains in Australia was explained by the virtual absence of AHU requirers in a sample of 1560 mucosal strains isolated in Sydney and Darwin from 1987 to 1990. The A/S distribution of these mucosal isolates also helped to account for the low (0.12) percentage of DGI strains in isolates examined by the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme (AGSP) from 1981 to 1991, and the differences in the rates of DGI in Sydney (0.08%) and Darwin (0.87%). There was a relative lack of the IA serogroup strains which are mostly responsible for DGI in the mucosal isolates from Sydney (15% of all strains) but a higher proportion of these serovars (40%) in the Darwin sample. There were 46 cases of DGI in data from the AGSP, 29 of these being women. Seven of the cases diagnosed in Australia were infected with penicillinase-producing gonococci suggesting that antibiotics other than the penicillins should now be used for this condition in this region.

Epidemiology of penicillin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Taiwan, 1960-1990.

The epidemiology of penicillin-susceptible Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Taiwan from 1960 to 1990 is summarized. The isolation of N. gonorrhoeae less sensitive to penicillin (i.e., with intrinsic resistance) was first reported in 1960. The rate at which organisms less sensitive to penicillin (MIC, greater than or equal to 0.5 microgram/mL) were isolated increased to 17%, 50%, 80.1%, and 88.8% in 1967, 1975, 1984, and 1990, respectively. Penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) first appeared in Taiwan in late 1976, and the first six strains of PPNG isolated were from United States military servicemen who had relocated from Southeast Asia. The percentage of PPNG strains rose to 37.82% in 1982, and has remained high (50%-62%) since 1983. In the present study, resistance of N. gonorrhoeae to spectinomycin (MIC, greater than 32 micrograms/mL), third-generation cephalosporins (MIC, greater than 4 micrograms/mL), or quinolones (MIC, greater than 4 micrograms/mL) has not been found. Strains requiring arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil for growth, which frequently cause disseminated gonococcal infections, were not isolated. PPNG strains tended to be of the prototrophic auxotype (55%); non-PPNG strains were mostly of the proline-requiring auxotype (48.8%). Two kinds of R plasmids were isolated in the PPNG strains: the 4.4-MD Asian type (82%-95%) and the 3.05-MD Toronto type (5%-18%). All of the PPNG strains possessing Toronto R plasmid were of the same auxotype/serotype (prototrophic/IB). Evidence suggests that the Asian-type R plasmid was imported into Taiwan in 1976, while the Toronto-type R plasmid may have first emerged in Taiwan in 1983.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Infectious Arthritis

Any patient who presents with an acute monarticular arthritis, especially a new asymmetric effusion with underlying joint disease, should be suspected of having a bacterial process. Because synovial fluid findings (leukocyte counts and glucose) may not be predictive of infection, bacteriologic analysis by smear and culture is necessary in the evaluation of any new synovial effusion. A chronic monarticular process is highly likely to be infectious also, but mycobacterial or fungal etiologies frequently require appropriate culture of synovial tissue in addition to processing fluid. Acute polyarticular syndromes are seen as manifestations of disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI) and certain viral infections in adults. Diagnostic clues include historic and physical findings (exposure history and type of rash). The major pathogen in adults remains Staphylococcus aureus, so initial therapy is directed at this organism unless urinary tract infection is present also. Proper recommended therapy for DGI is ceftriaxone because penicillin-resistant strains are present in many urban centers. Early recognition and treatment of bacterial arthritis may prevent poor outcome, particularly in elderly patients or those with underlying joint diseases. For chronic mycobacterial or fungal infections, surgery may need to be combined with medical management.

Approximate molecular weight of envelope protein 1 and colony opacity of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated from patients with disseminated or localized infection.

The patterns of electrophoretic (SDS-PAGE) migration of the major outer membrane protein I of 35 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae causing disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI) were compared, and the proportion of colonies expressing the transparent phenotype on a solid medium was determined. Thirty-one of these DGI strains had a protein I of very similar apparent molecular weight (approximately 36,000 daltons), and at least 75% of their colonies on a translucid medium expressed the transparent phenotype. Strains responsible for localized infections and isolated from patients in the same geographic area (Montreal) showed a greater heterogeneity in both apparent molecular weight of protein I and colonial opacity than did strains from patients with DGI. In particular, most prototrophic strains obtained from patients with localized infection had proteins I with molecular weights varying from 35,000 to 38,000 daltons and gave predominantly opaque colonies.