[Clinical evaluation of the Gonozyme enzyme immunoassay in comparison with the modified Thayer-Martin medium and the Jembec transport medium].

A solid phase enzyme immunoassay (GC-EIA, Gonozyme Abbott) for detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was tested in 185 male patients with urethritis purulenta sive serosa, and compared with the results obtained by bacterial culture. In 69 men gonorrhoea was confirmed by bacterial culture as method of reference. In 60 patients detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was carried out by means of direct inoculation on to Thayer Martin selective medium and immediate incubation, as well as on Jembec transport medium, which was mailed once a day to the respective laboratory. In 8 cases, N.go. was diagnosed with the Thayer-Martin medium only, in 1 case with the Jembec medium only. In 68 out of the 69 patients (sensitivity 98.6%) diagnosis was established with Gonozyme. An additional 8 positive results were obtained with this test, which could not be confirmed by bacterial culture (specificity 93.1%). 2 of these so-called false positive results can with great probability be assessed as true positive results on the basis of the case history. The positive predictive value with the Gonozyme method was 81.5% and the negative predictive value was 99.1%. The advantages, disadvantages and indication for this method are discussed and compared with the experience of other authors to date.