Comparative evaluation of Thayer Martin medium and Chacko Nair medium in the isolation of gonococci

Abstract

Urethral discharge from 36 male patients clinically suspected to be suffering from gonorrhoea and cervical and urethral swabs from 10 female contacts were examined by gram stained smear and parallel cultures on Thayer Martin medium and Chacko Nair medium to evaluate the comparative efficacy of the two media in the isolation of N. gonorrhoeae. The culture results on the two media agreed in 97.8%. The other results are presented and discussed. It is felt that in the prevalent Indian conditions Chacko Nair medium is superior in cost effectiveness and availability.