Evaluation of rapid carbohydrate degradation tests for identification of pathogenic Neisseria

A total of 156 clinical isolates were tested by the modified rapid fermentation test, the BACTEC Neisseria differentiation kit, and the cystine-Trypticase agar method. The modified rapid fermentation test and BACTEC methods accurately identified at least 95% of 101 strains of N. gonorrhoeae tested and at least 91% of 45 strains of N. meningitidis tested within 4 h. Overall, the cystine-Trypticase agar method was the most accurate (97%) but required as long as 48 h of incubation. The data presented appear to show that rapid carbohydrate degradation tests can provide reliable and specific identification results.