[Use of ristomycin diffused into the culture medium for separation of meningococci from nasopharyngeal mucus].

The method for enhancing the growth of meningococci after the inoculation of the specimens of nasopharyngeal mucus is proposed. The method is based on the diffusion of ristomycin into agar from ristomycin-impregnated filter paper strips. During the study of 694 specimens of nasopharyngeal mucus the above-mentioned method allowed isolation of 108 meningococcal cultures, while in serum agar only 21 cultures were isolated. The effectiveness coefficient of this method was found to be 80.6%, its effectiveness index being 5.1. The method facilitated the isolation of meningococci and in some cases reduced the time of analysis by 1 day.