An Evaluation of LC medium in the Diagnosis of Gonococcal Infection in Street Prostitutes

• Published in: Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 363 - 368
• Main Authors: TSUNEMATSU, Yukinori, KAMEI, Kiseko, MIZUMA, Keisuke, KATANIWA, Yoshio, ONODA, Yoichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR BACTERIOLOGY 25.03.1977
• ISSN: 0021-4930; 1882-4110
• DOI: 10.3412/jsb.32.363

Lincomycin (2μg/ml)-colistin (20U/ml) medium (LC medium) devised by Shiozawa and Tsunematsu (1967) was investigated for usefulness in comparison with vancomycin-colistimethatenystatin medium (VCN medium) developed by Thayer and Martin (1966). Cervical and rectal specimens from 97 street prostitutes in Tokyo were used in the present study with the following results. (1) The total number of infected persons was 15 (15.5%). Cervical specimens taken from 13 persons yielded gonococci on both media, and those taken from 2 persons gave positive results on LC medium only. Three rectal specimens yielded gonococci on LC medium, but one of them failed to do so on VCN medium. Rectal infection was found only among persons with cervical infection. (2) The growth on LC medium of contaminant bacteria, especially of Gram-positive ones, was comparable with that on VCN medium. (3) MIC of lincomycin was 8μg/ml against the 2 most susceptible strains of 26 gonococcal strains originated from the prostitutes and male patients. MICs for vancomycin ranged from 1.0 to 64μg/ml. Three of 22 strains showed MICs below 3μg/ml. On the basis of the findings mentioned above, lincomycin was assumed to be a preferable substitute for vancomycin, should it be used at a lower concentration (2μg/ml or so) than those adopted by other workers (5-10μg/ml).