[Membrane proteins electrophoretic profiles study applied to Neisseria gonorrhoeae epidemiology]

The analysis of electrophoretic profiles of membrane proteins is one of the epidemiological methods of bacterial typing. The profiles of membrane proteins of 95 isolates were studied for valuing their usefulness in the epidemiology of N. gonorrhoeae. The results were compared with the obtained using other characterization methods (auxotyping, serotyping and antimicrobial sensibility). The proteins I and II (PI and PII) showed clear differences between isolates. Only protein-I (PI) with constant molecular weight for each isolate was valid to discriminate between strains. It was observed correlation between serovariety IA and molecular weight of PI 33.6-36 kD, and the serovariety IB with molecular weight 35.5-37 kD. Though it wasn't possible discriminated between the different serovarieties. It was proved a sensibility decrease to penicillin, tetracycline and cloramfenicol in those strains with molecular weight of PI greater than 35.5 kD (serogroup WII/WIII). In the 80% of the isolates considered multiple antibiotic-resistant it was observed a significant increase of the membrane protein dough of 52 kD. All the strains with this protein increased were multiple antibiotic-resistant.