N. catarrhalis infection in husband and wife.

An English multipara, aged 31 years, first attended the Special Clinic at St. Thomas' Hospital on April 13, 1961, with excessive vaginal discharge. She admitted only marital sexual intercourse. Urethral and cervical smears and cultures were negative and no trichomonads or monilia were found. A repeat examination on April 20, 1961, showed urethral and cervical smears still negative, but Trichomonas vaginalis was found in the vaginal secretion, and she was given Flagyl 200 mg. three times a day for 7 days. Cultures from both urethra and cervix on April 20 grew Gram-negative oxidase-positive diplococci, which were assumed to be gonococci, and one injection of procaine penicillin 600,000 units was given on April 24. On April 25 urethral and cervical smears were negative but cultures from cervix and urethra again grew Gramnegative oxidase-positive diplococci. No further penicillin or other antibiotics were given on receipt of these results. Sugar fermentations had not been done on either of the previous "positive" cultures. Further cultures were, therefore, taken on April 29, one set (from cervix and urethra) being sent to the hospital laboratory, and one to the V.D. Reference Laboratory, with requests for fermentation studies. These cultures and all subsequent ones (five in all) have failed to grow anything but Staphylococcus albus and E. coli.