Abstract
BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major concern worldwide and gonococcal AMR surveillance globally is imperative for public health purposes. In Eastern Europe, gonococcal AMR surveillance is exceedingly rare. However, in 2004 the Russian gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility programme (RU-GASP) was initiated. The aims of this study were to describe the prevalence and trends of gonococcal AMR from 2009 to 2012, and molecular epidemiological genotypes in 2011 and 2012 in Russia.MethodsGonococcal isolates from 12–46 surveillance sites distributed across Russia, obtained in 2009 (n = 1200), 2010 (n = 407), 2011 (n = 423), and 2012 (n = 106), were examined for antimicrobial susceptibility using agar dilution method. Gonococcal isolates from 2011 and 2012 were investigated with N. gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST).ResultsDuring 2009–2012, the proportions of gonococcal isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin, penicillin G, azithromycin and spectinomycin ranged from 25.5% to 44.4%, 9.6% to 13.2%, 2.3% to 17.0% and 0.9% to 11.6%, respectively. Overall, the resistance level to penicillin G was stable, the resistance level to ciprofloxacin was decreasing, however, the level of resistance to azithromycin increased. All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone using the US CLSI breakpoints. However, using the European breakpoints 58 (2.7%) of the isolates were resistant to ceftriaxone. Interestingly, this proportion was decreasing, i.e. from 4.8% in 2009 to 0% in 2012.ConclusionsIn Russia, the diversified gonococcal population showed a high resistance to ciprofloxacin, penicillin G and azithromycin. In general, the MICs of ceftriaxone were relatively high, however, they were decreasing from 2009 to 2012. Ceftriaxone should be the first-line for empiric antimicrobial monotherapy of gonorrhoea in Russia. It is essential to further strengthen the surveillance of gonococcal AMR (ideally also gonorrhoea treatment failures) in Russia.
Highlights
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major concern worldwide and gonococcal AMR surveillance globally is imperative for public health purposes
During 2009–2012, the proportions of N. gonorrhoeae isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin, penicillin G, azithromycin and spectinomycin ranged from 25.5% to 44.4%, 9.6% to 13.2%, 2.3% to 17.0% and 0.9% to 11.6%, respectively
The present study describes the antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae isolates cultured from 2009 to 2012, and molecular epidemiological characteristics (NG-MAST) of N. gonorrhoeae isolates, obtained in 2011–2012, in Russia
Summary
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major concern worldwide and gonococcal AMR surveillance globally is imperative for public health purposes. In 2011, 39 179 gonorrhoea cases were reported from 28 European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) Member States, with an overall incidence of 12.6 cases per 100,000 population [2]. In most of the nonEU/EEA countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region (mostly in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslav Republic), during the last two decades the incidence has rapidly declined. This decline has been observed in the largest non-EU/EEA country, that is, Russia (>142 million inhabitants). The reported gonorrhoea incidences in Russia are underestimated, which is due to the large heterogeneity in health care settings nationally, differences in access to testing, suboptimal diagnostics, case reporting, e.g. lack of reporting of cases diagnosed in the private sector, and surveillance [3,4,5]
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