Inhibitory effect in vitro of sodium polyanethol sulfonate on the growth of Neisseria meningitidis

The influence of 0.05% sodium polyanethol sulfonate on the growth of 24 strains of Neisseria meningitidis in broth medium was examined; several of the strains were markedly inhibited. A paper disk method was evolved for screening the sensitivity of various bacteria to sodium polyanethol sulfonate on solid medium; the highest sensitivity was observed in N. meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Zones of growth inhibition were also observed in a proportion of strains in certain species of gram-positive cocci, whereas all gram-negative bacilli were uniformly resistant. The implications of these observations for the routine use of sodium polyanethol sulfonate in blood culture media are discussed.