Prevalence of cefixime-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Melbourne, Australia, 2021-2022

Eric P F Chow*, Kerrie Stevens, Vesna De Petra, Marcus Y Chen, Catriona S Bradshaw, Norelle L Sherry, Lindley A Barbee, Lenka A Vodstrcil, Ivette Aguirre, Kate L Seib, Kate Maddaford, Deborah A Williamson, Benjamin P Howden, Christopher K Fairley

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

While ceftriaxone remains the first-line treatment for gonorrhea, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended cefixime as a second-line treatment in 2021. We tested 1176 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates among clients attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in 2021 and 2022. The prevalence of cefixime resistance was 6.3% (74/1176), azithromycin resistance was 4.9% (58/1176), and ceftriaxone resistance was 0% (0/1176). Cefixime resistance was highest among women (16.4%, 10/61), followed by men who have sex with women (6.4%, 7/109) and men who have sex with men (5.8%, 57/982). The prevalence of cefixime-resistant N gonorrhoeae exceeds the threshold of the 5% resistance level recommended by the World Health Organization; thus, cefixime treatment would have limited benefits in Australia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e1121-e1125
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume230
Issue number5
Early online date15 Jun 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Nov 2024

Keywords

  • Humans
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae/drug effects
  • Cefixime/pharmacology
  • Male
  • Gonorrhea/epidemiology
  • Female
  • Anti-bacterial agents/pharmacology
  • Prevalence
  • Australia/epidemiology
  • Adult
  • Microbial sensitivity tests
  • Ceftriaxone/pharmacology
  • Young adult
  • Drug resistance, bacterial - drug effects
  • Adolescent
  • Azithromycin/pharmacology

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