Fluorescent monoclonal antibody for confirmation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae cultures

Abstract

We evaluated a monoclonal fluorescent-antibody (FA) reagent (Neisseria gonorrhoeae Culture Confirmation Test; Syva Co., Palo Alto, Calif.) for confirmation of N. gonorrhoeae isolates obtained from clinics for sexually transmitted diseases in four cities. The FA test was performed in parallel with established confirmation procedures on all organisms growing on 773 primary culture plates of modified Thayer-Martin agar. All N. gonorrhoeae isolates reacted with the FA reagent and produced a bright, easily interpretable fluorescence. The FA test correctly identified 533 N. gonorrhoeae isolates from 474 patients and did not react with 90 N. meningitidis or with 213 non-Neisseria isolates. In one city (Baltimore), Gonochek II (Du Pont Co., Wilmington, Del.) failed to identify four N. gonorrhoeae isolates reactive with the FA reagent and confirmed as N. gonorrhoeae by Phadebact (Pharmacia Inc., Piscataway, N.J.) and acid production from sugars. The FA test was rapid and specific and could be performed directly from primary isolation plates. The test requires 1 h to perform and is applicable to mixed-flora cultures.