Examination of Gram Stains of Cervical and Urethral Discharges

These images are from the original published atlas: Tenover, F. C., and J. V. Hirschmann. 1990. Interpretation of Gram stains and other common microbiologic slide preparations. The UpJohn Company, Kalamazoo, Mich. Permission granted to the ASM MicrobeLibrary by Pfizer Inc.

This atlas was written to help clinicians, microbiologists, and laboratory personnel identify organisms in infected materials stained by techniques commonly used in most clinical laboratories. Please refer to the atlas' main page for more information and a guide to all of the images.

Gram stains of urethral discharges are the most rapid method of diagnosing gonococcal urethritis. When gram-negative diplococci are visible within neutrophils, the sensitivity of the Gram stain is 95% in the case of males with symptomatic urethritis and culture positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae.The sensitivity of the Gram stain for detecting gonococcal infection is about 60% for specimens from males with asymptomatic urethritis, 40 to 70% for specimens from females with symptomatic cervicitis, and 30 to 65% for specimens from males with symptomatic proctitis. The specificity in each group is about 95%.