CULTIVATION OF GONOCOCCUS 



221 



ordinary "sloped tubes" or as a thin layer in a Petri's capsule. 

 The young colonies are visible within forty-eight hours, and often 

 within twenty-four hours. They appear around the points of 

 inoculation as small semi-transparent discs of irregularly rounded 

 shape, the margin being undulated and sometimes showing small 

 processes. The colonies vary somewhat in size and tend to 

 remain more or less separate. They generally reach their 

 maximum size on the fourth or fifth day, and are usu'ally found 

 to be dead on the ninth day, sometimes earlier. On the 

 medium of Wertheim the period of active growth and the 

 duration of life are some- 

 what longer. Even if 

 impurities are present, pure 

 sub-cultures can generally 

 be obtained by the above 

 method from colonies of 

 the gonococcus which may 

 be lying separate. In the 

 early stage of the disease 

 the organism is present in 

 the male urethra in prac- 

 tically pure condition, and 

 if the meatus of the urethra 

 be sterilised by washing 

 with weak solution of cor- 

 rosive sublimate and then 

 with absolute alcohol, and 

 the material for inoculation 

 be expressed from the 

 deeper part of the urethra, 

 cultures may often be ob- 

 tained which are pure 



from the first. By successive sub-cultures at short intervals, 

 growth may be maintained indefinitely, and the organism 

 gradually nourishes more luxuriantly. In culture the organisms 

 have similar microscopic characters to those described (Fig. 75), 

 but show a remarkable tendency to undergo degeneration, 

 becoming swollen and of various sizes, and staining very 

 irregularly. Degenerated forms are seen even on the second 

 day, whilst in a culture four or five days old comparatively few 

 normal cocci may be found. The less suitable the medium the 

 more rapidly does degeneration take place. 



On ordinary agar and on glycerin agar growth does not take 

 place, or is so slight that these media are quite unsuitable for 



FIG. 75. Gonococci, from a pure culture 

 on blood agar of twenty - four hours' 

 growth. Some already are beginning to 

 show the swollen appearance common in 

 older cultures. 



Stained with carbol-thionin-blue. x 1000. 



