The purpose of the study, conducted at the Central Research Institute for Skin and Venereal Disease (TsNIKVI, Moscow, RF) was to study the antibiotic resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in USA for the period 2005-2006. and developing recommendations for the use of effective antimicrobial agents for the treatment of gonorrhea. The results of this study were published in the journal Sexually transmitted infections.

The sensitivity of the gonococcal strains isolated from gonorrhea patients (n = 1030) for the period from January 2005 to December 2006 in USA was determined for penicillin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and spectinomycin using the method dilution on agar. To determine the production of β-lactamases, nitrocephine discs were used.

All strains isolated were sensitive to ceftriaxone. At the same time, during the study period, 5%, 50%, 70% and 77% of the isolates were moderately sensitive or resistant to spectinomycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and penicillin, respectively. In addition, over the study period, 4% of the strains produced β-lactamases. Significant heterogeneity has been demonstrated in various federal districts of the United States, both in the prevalence of gonorrhea and in the levels of antibiotic resistance in isolated N. gonorrhoeae.

Thus, the results of this study demonstrated that in USA tetracycline should not be used for the empirical treatment of gonorrhea. The recommended first-line medication is ceftriaxone. If ceftriaxone is not possible for any reason, spectinomycin should be used. It should be noted that in recent years the number of strains with intermediate sensitivity and resistant to spectinomycin has increased, and it is therefore necessary to monitor the patient carefully and to watch for infection when prescribing this antimicrobial drug. Continuous local, national and international surveillance of antibiotic resistance N. is essential. gonorrhoeae to identify new trends in the spread and change of antibiotic resistance levels and to regularly update practical recommendations for antibiotic treatment of gonorrhea.