rss
Sex Transm Infect 2003;79:399-402 doi:10.1136/sti.79.5.399
  • Original Article

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated in Guangzhou, China, 1996–2001

  1. H P Zheng2,
  2. W L Cao1,
  3. X Z Wu2,
  4. L G Yang2
  1. 1Guangzhou Center for STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, P R China
  2. 2Guangdong Provincial Centers for Skin Diseases and STIs Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, P R China
  1. Correspondence to:
 He-ping Zheng, Guangdong Provincial Centers for Skin Diseases and STIs Control and Prevention, 10, Xian Lie Dong Heng Road, Guangzhou, 510500, P R China; 
 zhfengzh2000{at}yahoo.com.hk
  • Accepted 14 April 2003

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and resistant trends of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated in Guangzhou, from 1996 to 2001.

Methods:The agar dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to four antimicrobials, penicillin G, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and spectinomycin. The resistance of all strains to four antibiotics was interpreted according to criteria used in the project of surveillance of gonococcal antibiotic susceptibility in the WHO Western Pacific Region. Penicillinase producing N gonorrhoeae (PPNG) was analysed by the paper acidometric method.

Results: 793 consecutive N gonorrhoeae isolates collected in Guangzhou were studied from 1996 to 2001. A total of 55 strains of PPNG were identified and the prevalence rapidly spread from 2% to 21.8%. Of the four antibiotics examined, ceftriaxone and spectinomycin appeared to be the most effective agents although two spectinomycin resistant strains were isolated in 1996. Their MIC50, MIC90, and geometric mean MIC (MICmean) were all between the sensitive ranges of the interpretative criteria and remained stable over the years. However, resistance increased continuously to penicillin G and dramatically to ciprofloxacin. In 1996–2001, MIC50, MIC90, and MICmean of penicillin G increased from 1 μg/ml to 2 μg/ml, 4 μg/ml to 32 μg/ml, and 0.68 μg/ml to 2.35 μg/ml, respectively; those of ciprofloxacin steeply increased from 0.12 μg/ml to 4 μg/ml, 2 μg/ml to 32 μg/ml, and 0.14 μg/ml to 2.62 μg/ml in 1996–9, respectively, and then declined slightly in 2000–1. The prevalence of resistant isolates spread from 57.2% to 81.8% for penicillin G and from 17.6% to 72.7% for ciprofloxacin over the 6 years.

Conclusion: Resistance to penicillin and ciprofloxacin increased greatly during 1996–2001. Ceftriaxone and spectinomycin should be used as the first line agents in treating gonorrhoea. It is of great importance to continuously survey the susceptibilities of N gonorrhoeae to antibiotics in controlling the spread of gonococcal infections.

Footnotes

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. Full text
    3. PDF
    4. A correction has been published
    5. Corrected Table 2

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Register for free content

    The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

    Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.