Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Valeria Fabre, M.D.

MICROBIOLOGY

Gram-negative diplococcus, oxidase and catalase-positive.
- Grows best on blood agar medium or chocolate medium (blood heated at 176-194^o F, Fig 1).
  - Has a loose capsule and pili. Antigenic variation of pili can be used for epidemiological characterization.
  - Strains with nutrient requirements for arginine, hypoxanthine or uracil are more likely to cause asymptomatic infection.
Infects surfaces lined with columnar epithelial cells: endocervix, urethra, anogenital and oropharyngeal mucous membranes, conjunctiva.
Always considered pathogenic when identified.

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.