Studies on circulating gonococcal antibodies and antigens.

One hundred human sera obtained from acute gonococcal disease and 100 sera from non-gonococcal diseases or healthy persons were concentrated four times and examined for the presence of circulating gonococcal antigens and antibodies by means of a counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) and delayed hypersensitivity assay. Antibodies reacting with cytoplasmic gonococcal antigens were detected by CIE in 92% of sera received from patients suffering from acute gonococcal disease. Gonococcal antigens were found in the concentrated sera of 82.3% of patients on the basis of dermal reactions observed upon injections of these sera into the skin of rabbits sensitized with disrupted gonococci; 51.8% of the patients' sera gave delayed hyper sensitivity reactions in rabbits sensitized with cytoplasmic antigens of N. gonorrhoeae. Control sera from healthy people and those with non-gonococcal diseases did not react with any of the preparations tested.