Identification of some basic extractable compounds produced by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis in a defined medium.

Electron capture gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry have been used to identify some of the basic extractable heptafluorobutyric anhydride reactive compounds found in a defined medium after 20 h of growth by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis. Acetoin, 2,3-butanediol, pyrroline, and 1,3-diaminopropane were identified by both gas chromatography and mass spectrometry; 2-hydroxy-pyrrolidine and 3-aminomethyl-pyrrolidine were tentatively identified by mass spectrometry. A possible origin of the amines is through enzymatic oxidation of polyamines.