DNA probe confirmatory test for Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A DNA probe test for the culture confirmation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in clinical isolates was evaluated with 156 isolates of N. gonorrhoeae and 120 isolates of nongonococcal Neisseria species, organisms representative of other genera within the family Neisseriaceae, and organisms isolated on media selective for N. gonorrhoeae. The 30-min test used a chemiluminescent DNA probe that was homologous to rRNA sequences of N. gonorrhoeae. We report here a specificity and a sensitivity of 100% with the 276 clinical isolates tested, including 43 gonococcal strains that had been misidentified by other methods.