ABO blood group and susceptibility to gonococcal infection. I. Factors affecting phagocytosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

The effect of opsonization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by isohaemagglutinins from normal serum on attachment to human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) was investigated. No significant differences between sera from blood groups O, A, B or AB were found. Differences in attachment of gonococci were related to differences in lipopolysaccharide detected by sensitivity to R-type pyocines of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Non-pilate variants of each test strain markedly stimulated nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction in PMN, but their pilate variants were essentially inactive in the NBT test.