title: One year of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Sweden: the prevalence study of antibiotic susceptibility shows relation to the geographic area of exposure.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare epidemiological data with antibiotic susceptibility patterns, so as to characterize the risk of infection with a highly resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain. N. gonorrhoeae strains isolated in Sweden from February 1998 through January 1999 were tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Epidemiological data were received from each clinician reporting a case of gonorrhoea and these data were linked to the N. gonorrhoeae strains. A total of 348 N. gonorrhoeae isolates, representing 89% of all Swedish cases diagnosed during the 12-month period, were tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Of all isolates, 24% were beta-lactamase-producing, and 18% had decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (MIC>0.064 mg/l). All isolates were fully susceptible to ceftriaxone and spectinomycin. More than 99% of the isolates were fully susceptible to azithromycin. The antibiotic susceptibility varied with the places where patients were exposed to infection. When exposed in Asia, 63% of the isolates showed reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, compared with 0-8.5% of the isolates from patients exposed in other places (RR=8.5, P<0.001). Ciprofloxacin cannot be recommended as the first choice of treatment if the place of exposure was in Asia.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Microbiology and Tumour Biology Centre, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unemo
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olcén
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giesecke
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fredlund
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D014943:Global Health; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents