Current and Emerging Approaches and Technologies for Rapid Detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Resistance

Abstract

The increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) pose a challenge to the successful future treatment of gonorrhea. Although antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is not routinely performed for NG, detection of antimicrobial susceptibility at the point-of-care (POC) could help guide treatment, including the re-use of previously-recommended treatment. We review the landscape of commercially-available tests and those under development for the rapid determination of AMR in NG. Additionally, we discuss the performance of new and novel nucleic acid-based phenotypic approaches for rapid characterization of AMR, which could potentially be implemented at the POC for resistance-guided therapy. Lastly, issues regarding the implementation of POC tests for resistance testing are discussed.