Microscopy of tonsillar smears and sections in tonsillar gonorrhoea.
Microscopy of methylene-blue and Gram-stained smears from the tonsillar surface and an immunofluorescence (IF) test were carried out for 130 patients, 129 with genital and/or anal gonorrhoea, 27 of whom also had tonsillar gonorrhoea. One patient had only tonsillar gonorrhoea. 5 of the 28 patients with tonsillar gonorrhoea had acute tonsillitis and for these, agreement was found between culture, light microscopy and IF test, while only 5 of the remaining 23 patients had positive microscopy. Among the 102 patients who did not have tonsillar gonorrhoea a few false-positive light microscopies and IF tests were found. Microscopy of haematoxylin-eosin stained sections of 8 tonsils from 4 patients with recurrent tonsillitis and tonsillar gonorrhoea showed subacute tonsillitis. Methylene-blue and Gram-stained sections revealed gram-negative diplococci morphologically similar to gonococci. The bacteria were located in the superficial layers of the mucous membrane (frequently intracellularly in leukocytes) and occasionally in cellular debris in the crypts.
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial