4.3.6 Neisseria gonorrhoeae

N. gonorrhoeae is a fastidious and delicate organism and requires careful handling. It doesn’t survive drying or temperatures much below body temperature. It is cultured on special media such as Modified New York City (MNYC) or Thayer Martin media, and grown in a CO2 enriched atmosphere at 35–36 ºC, otherwise it will not grow at all.

Initial identification from culture media is by Gram stain (Gram-negative cocci) and oxidase test (positive). Confirmatory tests include:

  • individual biochemical tests or test strips (e.g. API-NH, Biomerieux)
  • immunological tests, for example a slide-based co-agglutination test of which there are many commercial kits available (e.g. Phadebact® Monoclonal GC Test, MKL diagnostics).

  • Why is it necessary to confirm identification of N. gonorrhoeae with more than one test?

  • A lot of commensal Neisseria species can be found in the genital tract and it is important to distinguish between these and the pathogenic N. gonorrhoeae. Getting this wrong can have negative repercussions for the patient and their relationships as well as for AMR surveillance. This particularly applies if the patient is not known to be at high risk of STI.

4.3.5 Acinetobacter

4.3.7 Neisseria meningitidis