What is Which among the following differentiates Neisseriae meningitis from Neisseriae gonorrhoea? and explain in detail?
It ferments Maltose REF: Jawetz, Melnick, & Adelberg's Medical Microbiology, 24TH edition Chapter 21 Table 21-1. "Meningococci ferment maltose, while gonococci do not" Both meningococci & gonococci are Oxidase positive and Glucose fermenting. Neither of them reduces nitrates. Gonococci and meningococci are closely related, with 70% DNA homology, and are differentiated by a few laboratory tests and specific characteristics: Meningococci have polysaccharide capsules, whereas gonococci do not, and meningococci rarely have plasmids whereas most gonococci do. Most impoantly, the two species are differentiated by the usual clinical presentations of the diseases they cause: Meningococci typically are found in the upper respiratory tract and cause meningitis, while gonococci cause genital infections. The clinical spectra of the diseases caused by gonococci and meningococci overlap, however. BIOCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF THE NEISSERIAE AND MORAXELLA CATARRHALIS Acid Formed from Growth on MTM, ML, or NYC Medium' Glucose Maltose Lactose Sucrose or Fructose DNase N gonorrhoeae N meningitidis M catarrhalis + + + + - + - - - - ? ? + 'MTM = modified Thayer-Main medium; ML = Main-Lewis medium; NYC = New York City medium.