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.