[Serotyping Neisseria gonorrhoeae].

To control gonorrhea an understanding of pathogenesis and epidemiology is necessary. To achieve this goal a serologic typing system recognizing antigenic variants of the gonococcus is needed. The serotyping systems proposed in past years are described and their clinical relevance discussed. At the moment two typing systems based on protein I and monoclonal antibodies are available. Protein I serotypes are correlated with the killing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by bactericidal antibodies and may play a role in the future development of a gonococcal vaccine. The serovar system permits precise analysis of gonococcal populations and can be used especially for epidemiologic studies. The possibility of discriminating between reinfection and therapy failure can be of importance in therapeutic studies. A microepidemiologic analysis for partner identification is possible by combined determination of serovar and auxotype. Both monoclonal typing systems represent standardized monospecific reagents which, besides serotyping, will be used for the diagnosis of gonococcal disease as well.