Neisseria
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 Fluorescent antibody stain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
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Neisseria is a genus of bacteria included among the proteobacteria, a large group of Gram-negative forms. Neisseria are diplococci that resemble coffee beans when viewed microscopically.[1] The genus includes the species N. gonorrhoeae (also called the gonococcus), which causes gonorrhoea, and N. meningitidis (also called the meningococcus), one of the most common causes of bacterial meningitis and the causative agent of meningococcal septicaemia.
This genus also contains several, believed to be nonpathogenic species, like:
- Neisseria cinerea
- Neisseria elongata
- Neisseria flavescens
- Neisseria lactamica
- Neisseria mucosa
- Neisseria polysaccharea
- Neisseria sicca
- Neisseria subflava
History
The genus Neisseria is named after the German bacteriologist Albert Neisser, who discovered its first example, Neisseria gonorrheae, the pathogen which causes the human disease gonorrhea. Neisser also co-discovered the pathogen that causes leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae. These discoveries were made possible by the development of new staining techniques which he helped to develop.
Biochemical Indentification
All the medically significant species of Neisseria are positive for both catalase and oxidase. Different Neisseria species can be identified by the sets of sugars from which they will produce acid. For example, N. gonorrheae makes acid from only glucose, however N. meningitidis produces acid from both glucose and maltose.
References
he:Neisseria nl:Neisseria gonorrhea sr:НајсеријеTemplate:Proteobacteria-stub
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
