Neisseria species

2 pathogens of interest:
Neisseria meningitidis also called meningococcus
Neisseria gonorrhoeae also called gonococcus
GNC which is oxidase positive and produces beta lactamse
grows on enriched media (BA and CHOC) at 37 degrees
does not grow on general purpose media like NA
Non pathogens or commensals grow at room temp on enriched media and on NA at 37 degrees
CTA sugars are cysteine lactose sugars - enriched media in tubes which support the growth of Neissera. Has added CHO to aid in identification, look for acid production
Neisseria gonorrhoeae produces acid from glucose
Neisseria meningitidis produces acid from glucose and maltose
Neisseria lactamica produces acid from glucose, maltose and lactose
B catarrhalis produces no acid from glucose, maltose, lactose or sucrose
In the Gram of the specimen, look for the kidney shaped diplococci IC or EC in WBC. This needs to be reported to the Dr.
Be careful when making the smear and inoculating agar plates:
roll the swab over the slide/plate. In the smear this is done to preserve the morphology of the organism.
N meningitidis is encapsulated so a Quellung reaction can be done
culture plates are incubated under increased carbon di oxide