Prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Abstract

The susceptibility of 100 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to 5 antimicrobial agents (penicillin, streptomycin, oxytetracycline, sulphamethoxazole, and gentamicin) was examined. Three strains were resistant to each antimicrobial, fourteen exhibited resistance to 3 or 4 of the 5 compounds tested, and 49 were resistant to a single agent, or to pairs of the selected agents. 34 strains were found to be fully sensitive to all of the compounds tested. It is suggested that resistance to gentamicin and sulphamethoxazole may be determined by a multiple resistance gene. The overall frequency of penicillin resistance was found to be 26.5% (MIC>0.06 μg./ml.), suggesting a significant decrease in resistance since 1968.