Antimicrobial Resistance ofNeisseria gonorrhoeaeIsolated in Korea

Abstract

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea, one of the most important sexually transmitted diseases. The incidence of gonorrhea is still prevalent and about 50,000 new cases have been reported annually during the late 2000s in Korea. The antimicrobial resistance of N. gonorrhoeae is very prevalent and most isolates are multi-drug resistant to penicillin G, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones. The incidence of penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) decreased significantly, but high-level tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (TRNG) increased recently. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ceftriaxone were within the susceptible range for all isolates, but MIC creep has been apparent and one cefixime-nonsusceptible isolate (0.5 μg/ml) was found. Spectinomycin-resistant isolates remain rare, but caution should be required when dealing with gonococcal pharyngitis.

2023 Korean Association of Urogenital Tract Infection and Inflammation guidelines for gonococcal infection

“…Recently, the prevalence of azithromycin resistance has increased worldwide, including Korea. High levels of azithromycin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae have been reported in many countries around the world [ 14 15 16 17 18 19 ]. Although some ceftriaxone-resistant isolates have been reported to be susceptible to azithromycin, a 1 g dose might be insufficient to clear a gonococcal infection [ 20 ].…”