The survival of gonococci on various materials contaminated with gonococcal pus and stored at room temperature was studied. Gonococci were recovered for up to 3 days from a wide variety of hard and soft materials. It is possible that gonorrhoea is transmitted nonvenereally more often than is usually acknowledged, and these results may have medicolegal and social significance.
FingerE.,
GhonA.,
SchlagenhauferF.1894; Beitrage zur Biologie des Gonococcus und zur pathologischen Anatomie des gonorrhoischen Processes. Arch. Derm. Syph 28:3
KeoghA.,
MelvilleC. H.,
LeishmanW.,
PollockC. E.,
HarrisonL. W.1916A manual of venereal diseases 2nd ed Henry Frowde, Hodder & Stoughton and Oxford University Press; London: p 230
McEntegartM. G.1975; Fundamental research developments. In Recent advances in sexually transmitted diseases edited by
MortonR. S.,
HarrisJ. R. W.
Churchill Livinstone; Edinburgh: no 1: pp 54-68
MortonR. S.1977 Gonorrhoea. Saunders; London: p 31
NeisserA.,
ScholtzW.1903; Gonorrhoe. In Handbuch der Pathogenen Mikroor-ganismen 1st ed edited by
KolleW.,
WassermannA.
Gustav Fischer; Jena: vol 3: p 148
NovotnyP.,
ShortJ. A.,
WalkerP. D.1975; An electron microscope study of naturally occurring and cultured cells of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. med. Microbiol 8:413
OvcvinnikovN. M.,
DelektorskijV. V.1977; Phagocytosis in the urethral discharge from patients with gonorrhoea. In Gonorrhoea: epidemiology and pathogenesis, FEMS symposium no. 2 edited by
SkinnerF. A.,
WalkerP. D.,
SmithH.
Academic Press; London: p 157
OvcvinnikovN. M.,
DelektorskijV. V.,
DmitrievG. A.1976; Ultrastructure of gonococci in acute, chronic and asymptomatic gonorrhoea. Br. J. vener.Dis 52:230
TullochW. J.1929; The gonococcus. In A system of bacteriology in relation to medicine edited by the Bacteriological Committee of the Medical Research Council. HMSO; London: vol 2: pp 239-269
VealeD. R.,
GoldnerM.,
PennC. W.,
WardJ.,
SmithH.1979; The intracellular survival and growth of gonococci in human phagocytes. J. gen. Microbiol 113:383
WardM. E.,
GlynnA. A.,
WattP. J.1972; The fate of gonococci in polymorphonuclear leucocytes: an electronmicroscopic study of the natural disease. Br. J. exp. Path 53:289