Which statement about Neisseria gonorrhoeae is true?

• A. Adversely affected by fatty acids in clinical specimens
• B. Rapid growth on sheep blood agar
• C. Ferments glucose and maltose
• D. ONPG positive

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how Neisseria gonorrhoeae responds to substances in clinical specimens and what growth conditions it needs. This organism is fastidious and grows best on enriched media such as chocolate agar or selective media like Thayer-Martin, often requiring CO2 incubation. It is known to be inhibited by fatty acids that can be present in clinical specimens, which is why recovery can be poor from specimens unless they are processed or cultured on media that mitigate those inhibitors. That makes the statement about being adversely affected by fatty acids true.

Understandably, the other statements don’t fit. It does not grow rapidly on sheep blood agar because it requires enriched, sometimes selective media rather than routine blood agar. It ferments glucose but not maltose, which helps distinguish it from Neisseria meningitidis (which ferments both). And the ONPG test, which detects beta-galactosidase activity, is not a characteristic positive trait for Neisseria gonorrhoeae.