Skip to main content
PMC home page
The British Journal of Venereal Diseases logoLink to The British Journal of Venereal Diseases
. 1982 Apr;58(2):96–100. doi: 10.1136/sti.58.2.96

Inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates by Martin-Lewis medium. Epidemiology, susceptibility profile, and plasma analysis.

M A Miller, P Anderson, J W Parker, H H Rohrer
PMCID: PMC1046015  PMID: 6802441

Abstract

A study was undertaken on the premise that if an increase of 1 microgram/ml in the concentration of vancomycin in Martin-Lewis medium (MLM) could improve inhibition of Gram-positive cocci, then a concomitant increase in the inhibition of gonococci could also occur. Isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae that failed to grow on MLM accounted for 18-5% of all positive culture results for gonorrhoea. The incidence of isolates susceptible to vancomycin was 14% and of those susceptible to trimethoprim 2.4%; one isolate was susceptible to both vancomycin and trimethoprim. The antibiotic-susceptible isolates were more frequently isolated from asymptomatic white men. Plasmid analysis showed that the 2.4-megadalton cryptic plasmic was absent in the vancomycin-susceptible isolates. The large proportion of isolates failing to grow on selective MLM has important clinical implications for the diagnosis of gonorrhea.

Full text

PDF
96

Images in this article

99Image
on p.99

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brorson J. E., Holmberg I., Nygren B., Seeberg S. Vancomycin-sensitive strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. A problem for the diagnostic laboratory. Br J Vener Dis. 1973 Oct;49(5):452–453. doi: 10.1136/sti.49.5.452. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cross R. C., Hoger M. B., Neibaur R., Pasternack B., Brady F. J. VCN--inhibited strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. HSMHA Health Rep. 1971 Nov;86(11):990–992. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Darrell J. H., Garrod L. P., Waterworth P. M. Trimethoprim: laboratory and clinical studies. J Clin Pathol. 1968 Mar;21(2):202–209. doi: 10.1136/jcp.21.2.202. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Flynn J., Waitkins S. A. A serum-free medium for testing fermentation reactions in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Clin Pathol. 1972 Jun;25(6):525–527. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.6.525. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Foster R. S., Foster G. C. Electrophoretic comparison of endonuclease-digested plasmids from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1976 Jun;126(3):1297–1304. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.3.1297-1304.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Guerry P., LeBlanc D. J., Falkow S. General method for the isolation of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1973 Nov;116(2):1064–1066. doi: 10.1128/jb.116.2.1064-1066.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Knapp J. S., Holmes K. K. Disseminated gonococcal infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae with unique nutritional requirements. J Infect Dis. 1975 Aug;132(2):204–208. doi: 10.1093/infdis/132.2.204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Martin J. E., Armstrong J. H., Smith P. B. New system for cultivation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Appl Microbiol. 1974 Apr;27(4):802–805. doi: 10.1128/am.27.4.802-805.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mayer L. W., Holmes K. K., Falkow S. Characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun. 1974 Oct;10(4):712–717. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.4.712-717.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Meyers J. A., Sanchez D., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Simple agarose gel electrophoretic method for the identification and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1529–1537. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1529-1537.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mickel S., Arena V., Jr, Bauer W. Physical properties and gel electrophoresis behavior of R12-derived plasmid DNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 1977;4(5):1465–1482. doi: 10.1093/nar/4.5.1465. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Miller M. A., Schärli C. S., Mills J. Cytoplasmic membrane proteins of spectinomycin-susceptible and -resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jul;143(1):198–204. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.1.198-204.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Phillips I., Humphrey D., Middleton A., Nicol C. S. Diagnosis of gonorrhoea by culture on a selective medium containing vancomycin, colistin, nystatin and trimethoprim (VCNT). A comparison with Gram-staining and immunofluorescence. Br J Vener Dis. 1972 Aug;48(4):287–292. doi: 10.1136/sti.48.4.287. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Phillips I., Ridley M., Rimmer D., Lynn R. In-vitro activity of twelve antibacterial agents against Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Lancet. 1970 Feb 7;1(7641):263–265. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)90635-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Reyn A., Bentzon M. W. Comparison of a selective and a non-selective medium in the diagnosis of gonorrhoea to ascertain the sensitivity of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to vancomycin. Br J Vener Dis. 1972 Oct;48(5):363–368. doi: 10.1136/sti.48.5.363. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Reyn A. Recent developments in the laboratory diagnosis of gonococcal infections. Bull World Health Organ. 1969;40(2):245–255. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sackel S. G., Alpert S., Rosner B., McCormack W. M., Finland M. In vitro activity of p-hydroxybenzyl penicillin (penicillin X) and five other penicillins against Neisseria gonorrhoeae: comparisons of strains from patients with uncomplicated infections and from women with pelvic inflammatory disease. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Jul;12(1):31–36. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.1.31. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. THAYER J. D., MARTIN J. E., Jr A SELECTIVE MEDIUM FOR THE CULTIVATION OF N. GONORRHOEAE AND N. MENINGITIDIS. Public Health Rep. 1964 Jan;79:49–57. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Taylor E., Phillips I. Assessment of a selective medium for the isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Br J Vener Dis. 1979 Jun;55(3):183–185. doi: 10.1136/sti.55.3.183. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wiesner P. J., Handsfield H. H., Holmes K. K. Low antibiotic resistance of gonococci causing disseminated infection. N Engl J Med. 1973 Jun 7;288(23):1221–1222. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197306072882308. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Windall J. J., Hall M. M., Washington J. A., 2nd, Douglass T. J., Weed L. A. Inhibitory effects of vancomycin on Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Thayer-Martin medium. J Infect Dis. 1980 Nov;142(5):775–775. doi: 10.1093/infdis/142.5.775. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Venereal Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES