Blood group, secretor status, and susceptibility to infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

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Abstract
To determine whether the presence or absence of anti-B isohemagglutinin in individuals of blood group B increases their susceptibility to gonococcal infections, 567 new patients attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic were screened for blood group and secretor status. Of the patients with blood group B, 20.1% had gonorrhea and 12% did not. A higher percentage (20.9%) of patients without anti-B isohemagglutinin had gonorrhea compared to those with this anti-isohemagglutinin (12.1%). There was no synergy between the absence of anti-B isohemagglutinin and non-secretion of water-soluble blood group B antigen. Further research is needed to determine the underlying host-parasite interactions responsible for the increased susceptibility to gonorrhea in these individuals.