Use of New York City medium for improved recovery of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from clinical specimens.

New York City (NYC) and Martin-Lewis (ML) media were evaluated comparatively for their ability to support the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from clinical specimens. A total of 1,010 urethral, cervical, pharyngeal, and rectal specimens were collected from walk-in patients attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. A total of 187 and 165 isolates of gonococci were cultivated on NYC and ML media, respectively, with 161 of these isolates being recovered on both media. Overall, the use of NYC medium resulted in a 13.3% increased recovery rate of gonococci. When gonococci were recovered on both media from primary isolation, the NYC medium supported a more luxuriant growth and a greater number of colonies, which usually resulted in the detection of positive cultures 1 day sooner than on ML medium. Both media were comparable in their ability to suppress the growth of saprophytic microorganisms. The results of this study demonstrated that the use of NYC medium markedly enhanced the recovery of N. gonorrhoeae from clinical specimens as compared to ML medium.