Seminal Plasma Promotes Neisseria gonorrhoeae Aggregation and Biofilm Formation.

N. gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of the globally prevalent sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. An understudied aspect of this human-adapted pathogen is the change in bacterial physiology that occurs during sexual transmission. N. gonorrhoeae encounters semen when transmitted from host to host, and it is known that, when N. gonorrhoeae is exposed to seminal fluid, alterations in bacterial motility and type IV pilus arrangement occur. This work extends our previous observations on this modulation of gonococcal physiology by seminal fluid and demonstrates that seminal plasma decreases surface adherence, promotes interbacterial interactions, and enhances biofilm formation.