Abstract
We investigated drug-susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains, which were isolated from the urethras and pharynx of the male patients with urethritis between 1999 and 2004, against cefixime (CFIX), cefteram pivoxil (CFTM-PI), ceftriaxone (CTRX), cefodizime (CDZM), spectinomycin (SPCM), levofloxacin (LVFX). Among these strains, 10 strains, which were highly resistant to CFIX (MIC≥0.5μg/mL), were analyzed their gene pattern using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Drug-resistant rates in 2004 against CFIX, CFTM-PI, CTRX, CDZM, SPCM and LVFX were 5.9%, 20.8%, 0%, 0%, 0%, and 80.2%, respectively. MICs 90 against the strains isolated in 2004 did not change compared to those in 2003. MICs against four strains isolated from pharynx were twice higher than those from urethras. The incidences of β-lactamase producing strain were 2.4% in 1999, 5.2% in 2003, 5.0% in 2004, respectively. From gene analysis using PFGE, four gene patterns were recognized. Among them, 7 had the same gene pattern, which was detected from the strains isolated in each year and from different areas, indicating that this appearance of CFIX-resistant strains was not due to an outbreak of the same clone.
