Which statement about Neisseria gonorrhoeae is true?

• A. Household pets are reservoirs
• B. Initial infections in women are often asymptomatic
• C. Ferments glucose and maltose
• D. Grows readily on sheep blood agar

Answer: (B)

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a human-restricted, sexually transmitted pathogen, and a key clinical point is that women often harbor the infection without symptoms initially. This means cervicitis or pelvic infection can occur with little to no obvious signs, allowing silent transmission and increasing the risk of complications like PID if not detected and treated promptly. In the lab, gonococcus is a fastidious Gram-negative diplococcus that requires enriched media (such as chocolate or Thayer-Martin agar) and CO2 to grow well; it does not grow readily on ordinary sheep blood agar. It also has a distinctive carbohydrate pattern: it ferments glucose but does not ferment maltose, which helps distinguish it from related Neisseria species such as Neisseria meningitidis, which ferment both glucose and maltose. The statement that holds true in this context is that initial infections in women are often asymptomatic.