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  • Changes in prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance: notes from a 13-year retrospective survey in Dalarna County, Sweden

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Original research
Changes in prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance: notes from a 13-year retrospective survey in Dalarna County, Sweden
  1. Suhella Tulsiani Drud1,
  2. Carin Anagrius2,
  3. Britta Loré3,
  4. Karin Elfving4,
  5. Jørgen Skov Jensen1
  1. 1 Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Kobenhavn, Denmark
  2. 2 Department of Venereology, Falu lasarett, Falun, Sweden
  3. 3 Department of Clinical Microbiology, Falu lasarett, Falun, Sweden
  4. 4 Department of Clinical Microbiology, Laboratory Medicine, Falu lasarett, Falun, Sweden
  1. Correspondence to Dr Jørgen Skov Jensen, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Kobenhavn, Denmark; jsj{at}ssi.dk

Abstract

Objective Macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is of emerging global concern. Compared with neighbouring countries such as Denmark, Sweden has had lower rates of macrolide resistance while fluoroquinolone resistance rates are less well documented. This study retrospectively examined macrolide, fluoroquinolone and multidrug resistance rates from Dalarna County, Sweden over a 13-year period.

Methods MG-positive samples from 2006 to 2018 from patients examined at the Department of Venereology, Central Hospital, Falun, Sweden were tested by sequencing for macrolide resistance mutations (MRM) and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations (QRAM) in the parC and gyrA subunit regions. A subset of these samples from 2006 to 2011 have been reported on previously, although only for MRM.

Results Of 874 samples, 98 (11.2%, 95% CI 9.1% to 13.6%) had mutations associated with resistance to macrolides and 19 of 828 (2.3%, 95% CI 8.9% to 23.1%) to quinolones. Mutations associated with resistance to both drugs were detected in 5 of 828 (0.6%, 95% CI 0.1% to 1.4%) samples overall. A significant positive linear trend (p=0.004) for an increase in the rate of macrolide resistance was observed (from 0% in 2006 to 31% in 2018) while the increase in QRAM from 0% in 2006 to 12.3% in 2018 was not statistically significant.

Conclusions Despite a decrease in macrolide and fluoroquinolone consumption in Sweden, there was an overall increase in MG macrolide, fluoroquinolone and dual resistance from 2006 to 2018, although the difference in fluoroquinolone resistance rates was not statistically significant. In order to maintain comparably low resistance rates, resistance-guided therapy for MG infections will be crucial.

  • resistance
  • Mycoplasma genitalium
  • drug resistance, bacterial
  • azithromycin

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. Data are available on reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2023-055900

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available on reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. Data are available on reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Lenka Vodstrcil

    • Contributors JSJ, STD, CA, KE and BL participated in the conceptualisation and design of the study. STUL and JSJ performed primary analyses. STD wrote the first draft of the manuscript. CA, BL and KE collected samples. All authors commented and approved the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests JSJ reports grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Hologic, personal fees from Roche, grants and personal fees from SpeeDx, grants and personal fees from Nabriva, grants and personal fees from Cepheid, grants and personal fees from Abbott, and grants and personal fees from GSK all outside the submitted work. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.