Vibrio cholerae expresses iron-regulated outer membrane proteins in vivo.

A comparison was made, using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, of the outer membrane proteins of four strains of Vibrio cholerae grown in vivo in infant rabbits and in vitro in low-iron and iron-supplemented defined media. In vivo-grown V. cholerae expressed novel outer membrane-associated proteins which, in part, were similar to those observed on V. cholerae grown in vitro under conditions of iron deprivation.

Detection and differentiation of iron-responsive avirulent mutants on Congo red agar.

Agar medium containing Congo red dye differentiates virulent and avirulent colonies of Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, and Neisseria meningitidis. Like virulent plague bacilli, wild-type cells of these species absorb the dye and produce red colonies. Mutants or colonial variants have been isolated that fail to absorb the dye and produce colorless colonies. These mutants exhibit reduced virulence in the chicken embryo model, but their virulence is enhanced by supplementation with iron. Of those species tested, only Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates failed to grow in the presence of this dye. Inhibition of growth by Congo red may thus provide a simple means for differentiating gonococci from other Neisseria.

Imferon agar: improved medium for isolation of pathogenic Neisseria.

Imferon, an iron-dextran complex, enhances the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis. The use of Imferon as a replacement for ferric nitrate, in a defined supplement for GC agar significantly increased the average colony sizes of both gonococci and meningococci. In comparison with Thayer-Martin medium, Imferon agar increased the speed and rate of isolation of gonococci from clinical specimens.