Three strains of Branhamella catarrhalis and three strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were analyzed with regard to their phospholipid and neutral lipid composition. B. catarrhalis (ATCC 23246) contained 5.12 ± 0.34% lipid, determined gravimetrically, compared to 8.56 ± 0.15% and 9.73 ± 0.06% for two strains ofN. gonorrhoeae. Cardiolipin, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine were identified in extracts of both species. In addition, B. catarrhalis contained small amounts of phosphatidylcholine, and N. gonorrhoeae contained small amounts of lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine, which accumulated with autolysis accompanying late cell culture growth. The kinetics of change of relative amounts of phospholipids in both species were measured and found to differ substantially. Neutral lipid accounted for 30.4% of the total lipid of B. catarrhalis (ATCC 23246) and 7.6% of the total lipid ofN. gonorrhoeae NYH 002. Hydrocarbons, triglycerides, free fatty acids, coenzyme Q, diglycerides, and free hydroxy fatty acids were identified in the neutral lipid fraction of both species. The three strains of N. gonorrhoeae, sensitive, intermediate, and resistant to penicillin, exhibited no significant difference in the composition or metabolism of phospholipid. ' Present address: Clinical Microbiology Service, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, N.Y. 10032.nation of the lipid composition of N. gonorrhoeae. They did not detect PC, but they did find large amounts of lyso-Pe.We present here a definitive analysis of the phospholipid and neutral lipid composition of Branhamella catarrhalis and N. gonorrhoeae. The strains of N. gonorrhoeae employed exhibited varying levels of resistance to penicillin, and the existence of correlative elements of lipid composition to antibiotic resistance was also evaluated.(This work was reported in part previously [Bull. N.Y. Acad. Med. Abstr. 51:1148 and was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Chicago, Ill., 12 to 17 May 1974.)
MATERIALS AND METHODSCultures. The strains of B. catarrhalis employed were ATCC strains 23246, 8176 and 8193; the latter two were generously supplied by R. Weaver of the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga. The strains of N. gonorrhoeae employed were a strain supplied by R. Weaver designated F19 and clinical isolates of the New York Hospital Microbiology Laboratory that were designated NYH 002 and NYH 006. After reception the strains were examined for colonial and microscopic morphology, Gram stain, oxidase test, and fermentation of appropriate sugars. Cultures were maintained for short duration by daily (N. gonorrhoeae) or biweekly transfer (B. catarrhalis) on GC medium base agar plates supplemented with 1% supplement B (Difco; GCBDS) incubated at 35 C 168 on August 5, 2020 by guest