[Molecular epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: effect of sex and sexual orientation on the distribution of gonococcal types].

Auxotype/serovar (A/S) classification enables precise characterisation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In the present study we evaluated whether sex and sexual preference of the patient influence the auxotype/serovar class of the infecting gonococcal strain. In male patients prototrophic/IB-3 was the most frequently isolated A/S class. By contrast, in female patients the A/S class (P)AH(U)/IA-1/2 was significantly (p < 0.005) more frequently isolated than in male patients. Analysis of our data according to sexual preference of the patients showed that in heterosexual patients the two mentioned A/S classes were leading, whereas in homo- and bisexual patients A/S classes prototrophic/IB-2 (p < 0.0001) and Pro/IB-2/16 (p < 0.0001) were isolated significantly more often. Our data are a strong indication that the host environment is also responsible for the selection of N. gonorrhoeae strains with certain typing characteristics.