BIOCHEMICAL ATYPIA IN THE MODERN RUSSIAN STRAINS OF NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE

Abstract

A total 267 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae obtained in 2016 from 16 regions of the Russian Federation in six federal districts: Southern, Central, Northwestern, Volga, Ural and Siberian were investigated. All microorganisms were identified by biochemical profile on the Vitek 2 Compact analyzer. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-ToF MS) was used as an alternative method of identification. Biochemical typing revealed an atypical indistinctive enzymatic profile of N. gonorrhoeae(loss of D-glucose fermentation abilityand reducing of specific enzymes: ProA, TyrA, APPA in 49.1% of studies (131 strains), resulting in 39 strains (14.6%) were assigned to other types of microorganisms. Additional biochemical typing reduced the percentage of error by almost five times (from 14,6 to 3), but 100% confirmation of N. gonorrhoeae was not received.However, verification by mass spectrometer study showed 100% affiliation of the microorganism to N. gonorrhoeae. Biochemical atypia of N. gonorrhoeae represented by the loss of a number of taxonomically significant characters determines the need for an integrated approach to its identification which includes proteomic (massspectrometry) and/or genomic (PCR) studiesalong with biochemical typing.