Relationship between plasmid content and auxotype in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates

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Abstract
One hundred and forty strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, representing 12 different auxotype groups, were examined for differences in plasmid content. Most auxotype groups harbored a phenotypically cryptic 2,6-megadalton plasmid; a few groups also carried a 24.5-megadalton plasmid which has been previously characterized as a transfer plasmid. However, isolates of the proline-, citrulline-, and uracil-requiring (PCU-) auxotype were consistently free of plasmids. The correlation between auxotype and plasmid content is especially significant since, in Canada, PCU- isolates have the second highest prevalence of all auxotypes.