Anaerobiosis increases resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to O2-independent antimicrobial proteins from human polymorphonuclear granulocytes

We investigated the in vitro resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae FA19 to the O2-independent antimicrobial systems of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Acid extracts of polymorphonuclear leukocyte granules (crude granule extracts) and a purified granule protein (57 kilodaltons) were, at low concentrations, bactericidal for gonococci under aerobic conditions that permitted growth. However, they were less effective under anaerobic conditions that imposed bacteriostasis. We found that adding sodium nitrite to reduced growth media permitted the growth of strain FA19 in an anaerobic environment. Under these conditions with nitrite, anaerobic cultures of strain FA19 were no more resistant to the crude granule extract and the 57-kilodalton protein than aerobic cultures. In contrast, Salmonella typhimurium SL-1004, a facultative anaerobe, was readily killed by both the crude granule extract and the 57-kilodalton antimicrobial protein regardless of the presence or absence of free molecular oxygen. This is the first demonstration that an isolated antimicrobial protein from polymorphonuclear leukocyte granules is active against bacteria under anaerobic conditions. Our results also indicated that the efficacy of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte O2-independent killing of N. gonorrhoeae may, in part, be inhibited by bacteriostatic conditions imposed by hypoxia.