RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends dual therapy with ceftriaxone and azithromycin for gonorrhea to ensure effective treatment and slow emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Since 2013, the prevalence of reduced azithromycin susceptibility increased in the United States; however, these strains were highly susceptible to cephalosporins. We identified a cluster of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with high-level azithromycin resistance, several of which also demonstrated decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility. METHODS: Eight N. gonorrhoeae isolates collected from 7 patients on Oahu, Hawaii, seen 21 April 2016 through 10 May 2016 underwent routine Etest antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the Hawaii Department of Health. All demonstrated elevated azithromycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) >256 µg/mL and elevated ceftriaxone MICs (≥0.125 µg/mL). Isolates were sent to the University of Washington and CDC for confirmatory agar dilution testing; sequence data were sent to CDC for analysis. All patients were interviewed and treated, and when possible, partners were interviewed, tested, and treated. RESULTS: All isolates had azithromycin MICs >16 µg/mL and 5 had ceftriaxone MICs = 0.125 µg/mL by agar dilution. All isolates were ß-lactamase positive and were resistant to penicillin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin. Genomic analysis revealed genetic relatedness. No patients reported recent travel or antibiotic use, and no male patients reported male sex partners. All patients were successfully treated. CONCLUSIONS: This cluster of genetically related gonococcal isolates with decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility and high-level azithromycin resistance may bring the threat of treatment failure in the United States with the current recommended dual therapy one step closer.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Azitromicina/farmacologia , Ceftriaxona/farmacologia , Busca de Comunicante , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana Múltipla , Gonorreia/microbiologia , Gonorreia/transmissão , Neisseria gonorrhoeae/efeitos dos fármacos , Adulto , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Azitromicina/uso terapêutico , Ceftriaxona/uso terapêutico , Ciprofloxacina/farmacologia , Quimioterapia Combinada , Feminino , Gonorreia/tratamento farmacológico , Havaí , Humanos , Masculino , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Neisseria gonorrhoeae/enzimologia , Neisseria gonorrhoeae/genética , Penicilinas/farmacologia , Tetraciclina/farmacologia , Adulto Jovem , beta-Lactamases/metabolismoRESUMO
During 2016, eight Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 7 patients in Hawaii were resistant to azithromycin; 5 had decreased in vitro susceptibility to ceftriaxone. Genomic analysis demonstrated a distinct phylogenetic clade when compared with local contemporary strains. Continued evolution and widespread transmission of these strains might challenge the effectiveness of current therapeutic options.