Identification of the Gonococcus from Cultures and the Effect of Certain Animal Sera on the Fermentations of the Gonococcus.

The value of identification of suspicious organisms when cultures are employed in the diagnosis of gonorrhea is still being debated by many. Some believe that fermentation tests are essential; others consider them necessary only in doubtful cases. The latter consider the source of infection, the fact that colonies are oxydase-positive and consist of bean-shaped gram-negative diplococci as sufficient proof of identity. It is the purpose of this paper to show that the isolation of suspicious organisms and their identification is of primary importance, especially incultures taken from females. It is also desired to report on the effect on gonococcus fermentations of certain animal sera commonly used as enrichment in culture media. In our work, the sum of the following cultural features is usually thought to be necessary in identifying the gonococcus: