The isolation of neisseria gonorrhoeae: A comparison of three culture transport systems

Endocervical swabs for the culture of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from 417 patients attending a pelvic infections clinic were evaluated. Three swabs were obtained from each patient. One swab was plated directly onto Thayer-Martin medium and taken shortly thereafter to a microbiology laboratory for evaluation. A second swab was inoculated into modified Stuart’s transport media and transported soon afterward to the hospital microbiology laboratory. The third specimen was plated onto Trans- grow media and transferred according to routine transportation protocols to the Maryland State Health Department for evaluation. The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in this population was 14.6% (61/417). The sensitivities of the direct plating and modified Stuart’s systems with on-site evaluation were 87% (53/61) and 85% (51/61), respectively, while the sensitivity of Transgrow plating with off-site evaluation was only 64% (39/61). These findings argue against the use of a system of Transgrow plating and off-site processing of culture specimens to screen for infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae.