Dissociation of the Gonococcus

Dissociation of the gonococcus has been implied in the work of Herzog 1 and Warden 2 as early as 1913. However, very recently two contemporary schools of thought have appeared in the literature; the French (represented by Ramsine, 3 Milochevich, 4 and Lavrinowicz 5 ) and the German (represented by Kandyba 6 and Delbanco-Lorentz 7 ) who are convinced that changes in the morphology of the gonococcus exist in vitro and in vivo, while to the contrary, the Italian school (represented by Porcelli, 8 Sechi, 9 and Debiasi 10 ) firmly believes that such changes have very little in common with the gonococcus and are due to errors in technique and interpretation. In view of the conflicting literature the present report, as well as more detailed results to appear later, may prove significant.

Dissociation was attempted and accomplished with 4 stock strains of the gonococcus. During the entire study a modification of Hitchen's semi-solid medium was found satisfactory. Dissociation was produced by ageing and the use of immune serum.

Primary changes through ageing were noted when a sparsely inoculated ascitic agar plate was sealed and incubated for varying periods of time. These changes were evidenced as secondary or papillated colonies superimposed on the original colony or streak. Briefly, the sequence of events was as follows: The secondary growth was yellowish and opaque and when stained showed a beadlike bacillus (as though cocci were strung together to form a closely beaded chain). This form through further ageing and cultivation developed 2 types of growth, namely, a large opaque smooth colony, 3 mm. in diameter, composed of typical biscuit-shaped diplococci but taking the Gram counterstain very deeply and a small colony, 0.5 mm. in diameter, composed of tiny gram negative micrococci.