Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a strictly human-adapted Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection of major global health importance. Disease control is increasingly compromised by the rapid emergence of resistance to multiple antimicrobial classes and by the failure of natural infection to induce durable protective immunity. The ability of N. gonorrhoeae to persist within the host is driven by genetic and phenotypic adaptation strategies, including