Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates obtained from
patients attending a public
referral center for
sexually transmitted diseases and specialized care services (STD/SCS) in Belo Horizonte,
Brazil .
Methods Between March 2011 and February 2012, 201 specimens of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae were consecutively obtained from
men with symptoms of
urethritis and
women with symptons of
cervicitis or were obtained during their initial
consultation . The
strains were tested using the disk
diffusion method , and the
minimum inhibitory concentrations of
azithromycin ,
cefixime ,
ceftriaxone ,
ciprofloxacin ,
chloramphenicol ,
penicillin ,
tetracycline and
spectinomycin were determined using the E-test. Results The specimens were 100% sensitive to
cefixime ,
ceftriaxone and
spectinomycin and exhibited resistances of 4.5% (9/201), 21.4% (43/201), 11.9% (24/201), 22.4% (45/201) and 32.3% (65/201) to
azithromycin ,
ciprofloxacin ,
chloramphenicol ,
penicillin and
tetracycline , respectively. Intermediate sensitivities of 17.9% (36/201), 4% (8/201), 16.9% (34/201), 71.1% (143/201) and 22.9% (46/201) were observed for
azithromycin ,
ciprofloxacin ,
chloramphenicol ,
penicillin and
tetracycline , respectively. The specimens had
plasmid -mediated resistance to
penicillin PPNG 14.5% (29/201) and
tetracycline TRNG 11.5% (23/201). Conclusions The high percentage of detected resistance to
penicillin ,
tetracycline ,
chloramphenicol and
ciprofloxacin indicates that these
antibiotics are not appropriate for
gonorrhea treatment at the
Health Clinic and possibly in Belo Horizonte. The resistance and intermediate
sensitivity of these isolates indicates that caution is recommended in the use of
azithromycin and emphasizes the need to establish mechanisms for the
surveillance of antimicrobial resistance for the effective control of
gonorrhea . .