Isolation of Meningococcus from the Genitourinary Tract of Seven Patients

Abstract

Of 103 strains of Gram-negative diplococci that had been isolated from cases of gonorrhea, or from carriers of the infection, 7 proved to have the characteristics of the meningococcus, as evidenced by the fermentation of maltose as well as glucose. In addition, growth on artificial media was more abundant than is typical of the gonococcus. The fermentation reactions of 5 strains were detd. after preservation in the frozen state for 1 month. One strain (De) was tested shortly after isolation, and was not preserved by freezing. The 7th strain (El) was maintained in duplicate on chocolate agar as well as in the freezing cabinet. The unfrozen agar culture fermented glucose only, that preserved in the frozen state fermented both glucose and maltose and was therefore identified as a meningococcus. A 2d culture recovered from patient El 70 days later was identified as the gonococcus. A review of the clinical information on the 7 patients reveals no one factor which might explain the bacteriologic findings: none of the patients was known to have had meningococcal infection, although this information was not ascertained for 3 of the group, 4 had a history of previous attacks of gonococcal infection; 4 had received sulfonamide therapy for the current infection before the culture was isolated; the remaining 3 had not had any chemotherapy.