Colony morphology of piliated Neisseria meningitidis

Abstract

An association between piliation and colony morphology has not been observed for the meningococcus. We have found that growth of meningococci overnight at 30°C in a candle extinction jar allows observation of distinct colonial phenotypes correlated to the presence or absence of piliation and the expression of opacity-associated proteins. These phenotypes are similar to those observed in gonococci grown overnight at 37°C.