Question:medium
Which cell-surface component produced by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is mainly responsible for attachment to host cells?
Which cell-surface component produced by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is mainly responsible for attachment to host cells?
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The structure that lets bacteria stick to surfaces is usually a hair-like appendage.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Lipooligosaccharide
- Pili (fimbriae)
- IgA1 protease
- Outer membrane porin protein
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Option-elimination first:
Lipooligosaccharide is the gonococcal endotoxin and triggers the inflammatory damage; it is not an adhesin.
IgA1 protease cleaves mucosal secretory IgA to help colonisation, but it is an enzyme, not an attachment organelle.
Por (outer membrane porin) supports invasion and intracellular survival.
That leaves pili (fimbriae), the correct answer.
Why pili: These are filamentous structures built from pilin proteins that physically anchor the bacterium to mucosal epithelium and resist being engulfed by neutrophils. Their antigenic variation also frustrates immunity, so prior infection gives no lasting protection. Adhesion equals pili is the take-home point. Ref: Jawetz, 27e, p.282.
Lipooligosaccharide is the gonococcal endotoxin and triggers the inflammatory damage; it is not an adhesin.
IgA1 protease cleaves mucosal secretory IgA to help colonisation, but it is an enzyme, not an attachment organelle.
Por (outer membrane porin) supports invasion and intracellular survival.
That leaves pili (fimbriae), the correct answer.
Why pili: These are filamentous structures built from pilin proteins that physically anchor the bacterium to mucosal epithelium and resist being engulfed by neutrophils. Their antigenic variation also frustrates immunity, so prior infection gives no lasting protection. Adhesion equals pili is the take-home point. Ref: Jawetz, 27e, p.282.
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