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Laboratory Information Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

TABLE 1. Characteristics of gram-negative, oxidase-positive Neisseria and related species of human origin

Species Acid from Superoxol Reduction of nitrate Polysaccharide from sucrose Tributyrin hydrolysis
Glucose Maltose Lactose Sucrose Fructose
N. gonorrhoeae + - - - - + - - -
N. meningitidis + + - - - + - - -
N. lactamica + + + - - + - - -
N. cinerea* - - - - - + - - -
N. polysaccharea + + - - - + - - -
N. subflava† + + - V V + - V -
N. sicca + + - + + + - + -
N. mucosa + + - + + + + + -
N. flavescens - - - - - + - + -
N. elongata§ - - - - - - - - -
Branhamella catarrhalis - - - - - + + - +
Kingella denitrificans + - - - - - + - -

Abbreviations: + = strains typically positive but genetic mutants might be negative; - = negative; V = variable.
* Certain strains grow on selective media for the isolation of N. gonorrhoeae.
† Includes biovars subflava, flava, and perflava. N. subflava biovar perflava strains produce acid from sucrose and fructose and produce polysaccharide from sucrose;
N. subflava biovar flava strains produce acid from fructose; N. subflava biovar flava and N. subflava biovar subflava do not produce polysaccharide.
§ Rod or coccobacillus.

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