title: Russian gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility programme (RU-GASP)--resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae during 2009-2012 and NG-MAST genotypes in 2011 and 2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antimicrobial 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gonococcal 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).
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 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.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubanova
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubanov
authors.forename: Nataliya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frigo
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Solomka
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Semina
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vorobyev
authors.forename: Rafil
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khairullin
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Örebro University Hospital, SE-701 85 Örebro, Sweden. magnus.unemo@orebroll.se.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unemo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D000198:Spectinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D002443:Ceftriaxone; D017963:Azithromycin; D000198:Spectinomycin