NYC medium for simultaneous isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, large-colony mycoplasmas, and T-mycoplasmas.

NYC medium, primarily designed for isolation of pathogenic Neisseria, also readily supports the growth of large-colony mycoplasmas and T-mycoplasmas. When compared with A-3 agar medium and PPLO agar in clinical field trials, NYC medium performed equally as well as these mycoplasma-specific media in providing recovery of Mycoplasma species from female genital specimens. The transparent, highly-selective NYC medium permits direct, microscopic observation and presumptive identification of mycoplasmas, as well as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, without interference from contaminating saprophytes. As a single medium it can therefore be doubly useful in the diagnosis of gonorrhea and in the recognition of active or asymptomatic mycoplasma infections. Used in gonorrhea screening programs, the medium can be valuable in establishing the frequency of association of mycoplasmas with urogenital tract infection.