| Abstract: | The comparative killing of pilated and nonpilated forms of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by human peripheral blood leukocytes was studied in vitro. Some nonpilated gonococci (T2) were killed to a lesser extent than were pilated, T2 organisms, which were killed less readily than another nonpilated (T4*) form of gonococcus. Thus, the relative order of killing of gonococci by human peripheral blood leukocytes appears to be: T4 less than T2 less than T4*. These data suggest that pilation, though correlated with virulence of gonococci, has little influence on the survival or killing of these organisms by human leukocytes. |
