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Unemo M, Sánchez-Busó L, Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Shimuta K, Lan PT, Eyre DW, Cole M, Maatouk I, Wi T, Lahra MM. The novel 2024 WHO Neisseria gonorrhoeae reference strains for global quality assurance of laboratory investigations and superseded WHO N. gonorrhoeae reference strains-phenotypic, genetic and reference genome characterization. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024; 79:1885-1899. [PMID: 38889110 PMCID: PMC11290888 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES MDR and XDR Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains remain major public health concerns internationally, and quality-assured global gonococcal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance is imperative. The WHO global Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) and WHO Enhanced GASP (EGASP), including metadata and WGS, are expanding internationally. We present the phenotypic, genetic and reference genome characteristics of the 2024 WHO gonococcal reference strains (n = 15) for quality assurance worldwide. All superseded WHO gonococcal reference strains (n = 14) were identically characterized. MATERIAL AND METHODS The 2024 WHO reference strains include 11 of the 2016 WHO reference strains, which were further characterized, and four novel strains. The superseded WHO reference strains include 11 WHO reference strains previously unpublished. All strains were characterized phenotypically and genomically (single-molecule PacBio or Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing). RESULTS The 2024 WHO reference strains represent all available susceptible and resistant phenotypes and genotypes for antimicrobials currently and previously used (n = 22), or considered for future use (n = 3) in gonorrhoea treatment. The novel WHO strains include internationally spreading ceftriaxone resistance, ceftriaxone resistance due to new penA mutations, ceftriaxone plus high-level azithromycin resistance and azithromycin resistance due to mosaic MtrRCDE efflux pump. AMR, serogroup, prolyliminopeptidase, genetic AMR determinants, plasmid types, molecular epidemiological types and reference genome characteristics are presented for all strains. CONCLUSIONS The 2024 WHO gonococcal reference strains are recommended for internal and external quality assurance in laboratory examinations, especially in the WHO GASP, EGASP and other GASPs, but also in phenotypic and molecular diagnostics, AMR prediction, pharmacodynamics, epidemiology, research and as complete reference genomes in WGS analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Joint Research Unit ‘Infection and Public Health’, FISABIO-University of Valencia, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Valencia, Spain
- CIBERESP, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Golparian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Ken Shimuta
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Pham Thi Lan
- Hanoi Medical University, National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - David W Eyre
- Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Ismael Maatouk
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Teodora Wi
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, New South Wales Health Pathology, Microbiology, Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Allan-Blitz LT, Fifer H, Klausner JD. Managing treatment failure in Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection: current guidelines and future directions. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 24:e532-e538. [PMID: 38367636 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00001-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Due to the continued emergence of resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotics, clinicians are increasingly more likely to encounter cases of Neisseria gonorrhoeae treatment failure. The current international treatment guidelines offer few regimens for cases of N gonorrhoeae infection that do not respond to first-line therapy, and there are many complexities that should be considered with such regimens; these include regional variations in resistance to alternative agents, access to different antibiotics, and penetration of those antibiotics within different tissues. Further, such regimens do not account for the challenges of treating pharyngeal infections; many patients who have not responded to treatment with extended-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotics to date have had pharyngeal involvement. In addition, pharyngeal infections play a pivotal role in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in N gonorrhoeae and are more difficult to treat than urogenital infections because of the unfavourable pharmacokinetics of cephalosporins in pharyngeal tissues. Here, we summarise the current guidelines, provide additional approaches and considerations for clinicians, and highlight knowledge gaps that should be addressed to ensure appropriate therapy in cases of treatment failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz
- Division of Global Health Equity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Helen Fifer
- Blood Safety, Hepatitis, STI & HIV Division, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Jeffrey D Klausner
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lyu Y, Choong A, Chow EPF, Seib KL, Marshall HS, Unemo M, de Voux A, Wang B, Miranda AE, Gottlieb SL, Mello MB, Wi T, Baggaley R, Marshall C, Abu-Raddad LJ, Abara WE, Chen XS, Ong JJ. Vaccine value profile for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Vaccine 2024; 42:S42-S69. [PMID: 38123397 PMCID: PMC11169088 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.01.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection (gonorrhoea) is a global public health challenge, causing substantial sexual and reproductive health consequences, such as infertility, pregnancy complications and increased acquisition or transmission of HIV. There is an urgency to controlling gonorrhoea because of increasing antimicrobial resistance to ceftriaxone, the last remaining treatment option, and the potential for gonorrhoea to become untreatable. No licensed gonococcal vaccine is available. Mounting observational evidence suggests that N. meningitidis serogroup B outer membrane vesicle-based vaccines may induce cross-protection against N. gonorrhoeae (estimated 30%-40% effectiveness using the 4CMenB vaccine). Clinical trials to determine the efficacy of the 4CMenB vaccine against N. gonorrhoeae are underway, as are Phase 1/2 studies of a new gonococcal-specific vaccine candidate. Ultimately, a gonococcal vaccine must be accessible, affordable and equitably dispensed, given that those most affected by gonorrhoea are also those who may be most disadvantaged in our societies, and most cases are in less-resourced settings. This vaccine value profile (VVP) provides a high level, holistic assessment of the current data to inform the potential public health, economic and societal value of pipeline vaccines. This was developed by a working group of subject matter experts from academia, non-profit organizations, public private partnerships and multi-lateral organizations. All contributors have extensive expertise on various elements of the N. gonorrhoeae VVP and collectively aimed to identify current research and knowledge gaps. The VVP was developed using published data obtained from peer-reviewed journals or reports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Lyu
- University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Annabelle Choong
- Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
| | - Eric P F Chow
- Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3053, Australia; Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, 207 Bouverie Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3053, Australia.
| | - Kate L Seib
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222, Australia.
| | - Helen S Marshall
- The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; Women's and Children's Health Network, North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO CC for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
| | - Alex de Voux
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700, South Africa.
| | - Bing Wang
- The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; Women's and Children's Health Network, North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Angelica E Miranda
- Department of Social Medicine, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514 - Goiabeiras, Vitória - ES 29075-910, Brazil.
| | - Sami L Gottlieb
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Av. Appia 20, 1211 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Maeve B Mello
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Av. Appia 20, 1211 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Teodora Wi
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Av. Appia 20, 1211 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Rachel Baggaley
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Av. Appia 20, 1211 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Caroline Marshall
- Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Av. Appia 20, 1211 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Laith J Abu-Raddad
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation - Education City, Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Winston E Abara
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
| | - Xiang-Sheng Chen
- National Center for STD Control of China CDC, 12 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing 210042, China.
| | - Jason J Ong
- Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
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David A, Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Stratton C, Lan PT, Shimuta K, Sonnenberg P, Field N, Ohnishi M, Davies C, Unemo M. In silico gepotidacin target mining among 33 213 global Neisseria gonorrhoeae genomes from 1928 to 2023 combined with gepotidacin MIC testing of 22 gonococcal isolates with different GyrA and ParC substitutions. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024:dkae217. [PMID: 39004438 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The novel dual-target triazaacenaphthylene, gepotidacin, recently showed promising results in its Phase III randomized controlled trial for the treatment of gonorrhoea. We investigated alterations in the gepotidacin GyrA and ParC targets in gonococci by in silico mining of publicly available global genomes (n = 33 213) and determined gepotidacin MICs in isolates with GyrA A92 alterations combined with other GyrA and/or ParC alterations. METHODS We examined gonococcal gyrA and parC alleles available at the European Nucleotide Archive. MICs were determined using the agar dilution method (gepotidacin) or Etest (four antimicrobials). Models of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV were obtained from AlphaFold and used to model gepotidacin in the binding site. RESULTS GyrA A92 alterations were identified in 0.24% of genomes: GyrA A92P/S/V + S91F + D95Y/A/N (0.208%), A92P + S91F (0.024%) and A92P (0.003%), but no A92T (previously associated with gepotidacin resistance) was found. ParC D86 alterations were found in 10.6% of genomes: ParC D86N/G (10.5%), D86N + S87I (0.051%), D86N + S88P (0.012%) and D86G + E91G (0.003%). One isolate had GyrA A92P + ParC D86N alterations, but remained susceptible to gepotidacin (MIC = 0.125 mg/L). No GyrA plus ParC alterations resulted in a gepotidacin MIC > 4 mg/L. Modelling of gepotidacin binding to GyrA A92/A92T/A92P suggested that gepotidacin resistance due to GyrA A92T might be linked to the formation of a new polar contact with DNA. CONCLUSIONS In silico mining of 33 213 global gonococcal genomes (isolates from 1928 to 2023) showed that A92 is highly conserved in GyrA, while alterations in D86 of ParC are common. No GyrA plus ParC alterations caused gepotidacin resistance. MIC determination and genomic surveillance of potential antimicrobial resistance determinants are imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra David
- Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Caleb Stratton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, AL, USA
| | - Pham Thi Lan
- Hanoi Medical University, National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Ken Shimuta
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Pam Sonnenberg
- Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nigel Field
- Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Makoto Ohnishi
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, AL, USA
| | - Magnus Unemo
- Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
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Tongtoyai J, Cherdtrakulkiat T, Girdthep N, Masciotra S, Winaitham S, Sangprasert P, Daengsaard E, Puangsoi A, Kittiyaowamarn R, Dunne EF, Sirivongrangson P, Hickey AC, Weston E, Frankson RM. Data quality assessment of the Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), Thailand, 2015-2021. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305296. [PMID: 38968209 PMCID: PMC11226028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quality assessments of gonococcal surveillance data are critical to improve data validity and to enhance the value of surveillance findings. Detecting data errors by systematic audits identifies areas for quality improvement. We designed and implemented an internal audit process to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of surveillance data for the Thailand Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP). METHODS We conducted a data quality audit of source records by comparison with the data stored in the EGASP database for five audit cycles from 2015-2021. Ten percent of culture-confirmed cases of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were randomly sampled along with any cases identified with elevated antimicrobial susceptibility testing results and cases with repeat infections. Incorrect and incomplete data were investigated, and corrective action and preventive actions (CAPA) were implemented. Accuracy was defined as the percentage of identical data in both the source records and the database. Completeness was defined as the percentage of non-missing data from either the source document or the database. Statistical analyses were performed using the t-test and the Fisher's exact test. RESULTS We sampled and reviewed 70, 162, 85, 68, and 46 EGASP records during the five audit cycles. Overall accuracy and completeness in the five audit cycles ranged from 93.6% to 99.4% and 95.0% to 99.9%, respectively. Overall, completeness was significantly higher than accuracy (p = 0.017). For each laboratory and clinical data element, concordance was >85% in all audit cycles except for two laboratory data elements in two audit cycles. These elements significantly improved following identification and CAPA implementation. DISCUSSION We found a high level of data accuracy and completeness in the five audit cycles. The implementation of the audit process identified areas for improvement. Systematic quality assessments of laboratory and clinical data ensure high quality EGASP surveillance data to monitor for antimicrobial resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Thailand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaray Tongtoyai
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Thitima Cherdtrakulkiat
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Natnaree Girdthep
- Department of Disease Control, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Silvina Masciotra
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Santi Winaitham
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | | | - Ekkachai Daengsaard
- Department of Disease Control, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Anuparp Puangsoi
- Department of Disease Control, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | | | - Eileen F. Dunne
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | | | - Andrew C. Hickey
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Emily Weston
- Division of STD Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rebekah M. Frankson
- Division of STD Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
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Jensen JS, Unemo M. Antimicrobial treatment and resistance in sexually transmitted bacterial infections. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:435-450. [PMID: 38509173 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01023-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been part of human life since ancient times, and their symptoms affect quality of life, and sequelae are common. Socioeconomic and behavioural trends affect the prevalence of STIs, but the discovery of antimicrobials gave hope for treatment, control of the spread of infection and lower rates of sequelae. This has to some extent been achieved, but increasing antimicrobial resistance and increasing transmission in high-risk sexual networks threaten this progress. For Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the only remaining first-line treatment (with ceftriaxone) is at risk of becoming ineffective, and for Mycoplasma genitalium, for which fewer alternative antimicrobial classes are available, incurable infections have already been reported. For Chlamydia trachomatis, in vitro resistance to first-line tetracyclines and macrolides has never been confirmed despite decades of treatment of this highly prevalent STI. Similarly, Treponema pallidum, the cause of syphilis, has remained susceptible to first-line penicillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorgen S Jensen
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Research Unit for Reproductive Microbiology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
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Goldstein E, Moss E, Bennett-Slater S, Ferguson L, McInally C, McHugh M, Maxwell A, Winter A, Gunson RN. Impact of molecular ciprofloxacin resistance testing in management of gonorrhoea in a large urban clinic. Sex Transm Infect 2024; 100:226-230. [PMID: 38702191 DOI: 10.1136/sextrans-2023-056099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Antibiotic resistance in gonorrhoea is of significant public health concern with the emergence of resistance to last-line therapies such as ceftriaxone. Despite around half of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates tested in the UK being susceptible to ciprofloxacin, very little ciprofloxacin is used in clinical practice. Testing for the S91F mutation associated with ciprofloxacin resistance is now available in CE-marked assays and may reduce the requirement for ceftriaxone, but many patients are treated empirically, or as sexual contacts, which may limit any benefit. We describe the real-world impact of such testing on antimicrobial use and clinical outcomes in people found to have gonorrhoea in a large urban UK sexual health clinic. METHODS Molecular ciprofloxacin resistance testing (ResistancePlus GC assay (SpeeDx)) was undertaken as an additional test after initial diagnosis (m2000 Realtime CT/NG assay (Abbott Molecular)) in those not already known to have had antimicrobial treatment. Data from a 6-month period (from March to September 2022) were analysed to determine treatment choice and treatment outcome. RESULTS A total of 998 clinical samples tested positive for N. gonorrhoeae in 682 episodes of infection. Of the 560 (56%) samples eligible for resistance testing, 269 (48.0%) were reported as wild-type, 180 (32.1%) were predicted to be resistant, 63 (11.3%) had an indeterminate resistance profile, and in 48 (8.6%) samples, N. gonorrhoeae was not detected. Ciprofloxacin was prescribed in 172 (75%) of 228 episodes in which the wild-type strain was detected. Four (2%) of those treated with ciprofloxacin had a positive test-of-cure sample by NAAT, with no reinfection risk. All four had ciprofloxacin-susceptible infection by phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing. CONCLUSIONS In routine practice in a large UK clinic, molecular ciprofloxacin resistance testing led to a significant shift in antibiotic use, reducing use of ceftriaxone. Testing can be targeted to reduce unnecessary additional testing. Longer term impact on antimicrobial resistance requires ongoing surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Goldstein
- West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Elizabeth Moss
- Sandyford Sexual Health Services, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Susan Bennett-Slater
- West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Lynne Ferguson
- West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Carol McInally
- West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Martin McHugh
- Scottish Bacterial STI Reference Laboratory, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alexandra Maxwell
- Sandyford Sexual Health Services, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Andrew Winter
- Sandyford Sexual Health Services, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Rory N Gunson
- West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK
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Unemo M, Golparian D, Oxelbark J, Kong FYS, Brown D, Louie A, Drusano G, Jacobsson S. Pharmacodynamic evaluation of ceftriaxone single-dose therapy (0.125-1 g) to eradicate ceftriaxone-susceptible and ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains in a hollow fibre infection model for gonorrhoea. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024; 79:1006-1013. [PMID: 38497988 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is threatening the gonorrhoea treatment, and optimizations of the current ceftriaxone-treatment regimens are crucial. We evaluated the pharmacodynamics of ceftriaxone single-dose therapy (0.125-1 g) against ceftriaxone-susceptible and ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal strains, based on EUCAST ceftriaxone-resistance breakpoint (MIC > 0.125 mg/L), in our hollow fibre infection model (HFIM) for gonorrhoea. METHODS Gonococcal strains examined were WHO F (ceftriaxone-susceptible, MIC < 0.002 mg/L), R (ceftriaxone-resistant, MIC = 0.5 mg/L), Z (ceftriaxone-resistant, MIC = 0.5 mg/L) and X (ceftriaxone-resistant, MIC = 2 mg/L). Dose-range HFIM 7 day experiments simulating ceftriaxone 0.125-1 g single-dose intramuscular regimens were conducted. RESULTS Ceftriaxone 0.125-1 g single-dose treatments rapidly eradicated WHO F (wild-type ceftriaxone MIC). Ceftriaxone 0.5 and 1 g treatments, based on ceftriaxone human plasma pharmacokinetic parameters, eradicated most ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal strains (WHO R and Z), but ceftriaxone 0.5 g failed to eradicate WHO X (high-level ceftriaxone resistance). When simulating oropharyngeal gonorrhoea, ceftriaxone 0.5 g failed to eradicate all the ceftriaxone-resistant strains, while ceftriaxone 1 g eradicated WHO R and Z (low-level ceftriaxone resistance) but failed to eradicate WHO X (high-level ceftriaxone resistance). No ceftriaxone-resistant mutants were selected using any ceftriaxone treatments. CONCLUSIONS Ceftriaxone 1 g single-dose intramuscularly cure most of the anogenital and oropharyngeal gonorrhoea cases caused by the currently internationally spreading ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal strains, which should be further confirmed clinically. A ceftriaxone 1 g dose (±azithromycin 2 g) should be recommended for first-line empiric gonorrhoea treatment. This will buy countries some time until novel antimicrobials are licensed. Using ceftriaxone 1 g gonorrhoea treatment, the EUCAST ceftriaxone-resistance breakpoint is too low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Daniel Golparian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Joakim Oxelbark
- Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Fabian Y S Kong
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David Brown
- Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Arnold Louie
- Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - George Drusano
- Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
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Golparian D, Bazzo ML, Ahlstrand J, Schörner MA, Gaspar PC, de Melo Machado H, Martins JM, Bigolin A, Ramos MC, Ferreira WA, Pereira GFM, Miranda AE, Unemo M. Recent dynamics in Neisseria gonorrhoeae genomic epidemiology in Brazil: antimicrobial resistance and genomic lineages in 2017-20 compared to 2015-16. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024; 79:1081-1092. [PMID: 38517452 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Regular quality-assured WGS with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and epidemiological data of patients is imperative to elucidate the shifting gonorrhoea epidemiology, nationally and internationally. We describe the dynamics of the gonococcal population in 11 cities in Brazil between 2017 and 2020 and elucidate emerging and disappearing gonococcal lineages associated with AMR, compare to Brazilian WGS and AMR data from 2015 to 2016, and explain recent changes in gonococcal AMR and gonorrhoea epidemiology. METHODS WGS was performed using Illumina NextSeq 550 and genomes of 623 gonococcal isolates were used for downstream analysis. Molecular typing and AMR determinants were obtained and links between genomic lineages and AMR (determined by agar dilution/Etest) examined. RESULTS Azithromycin resistance (15.6%, 97/623) had substantially increased and was mainly explained by clonal expansions of strains with 23S rRNA C2611T (mostly NG-STAR CC124) and mtr mosaics (mostly NG-STAR CC63, MLST ST9363). Resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime remained at the same levels as in 2015-16, i.e. at 0% and 0.2% (1/623), respectively. Regarding novel gonorrhoea treatments, no known zoliflodacin-resistance gyrB mutations or gepotidacin-resistance gyrA mutations were found. Genomic lineages and sublineages showed a phylogenomic shift from sublineage A5 to sublineages A1-A4, while isolates within lineage B remained diverse in Brazil. CONCLUSIONS Azithromycin resistance, mainly caused by 23S rRNA C2611T and mtrD mosaics/semi-mosaics, had substantially increased in Brazil. This mostly low-level azithromycin resistance may threaten the recommended ceftriaxone-azithromycin therapy, but the lack of ceftriaxone resistance is encouraging. Enhanced gonococcal AMR surveillance, including WGS, is imperative in Brazil and other Latin American and Caribbean countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, SE-701 85, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Maria Luiza Bazzo
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Serology Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Josefine Ahlstrand
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, SE-701 85, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Marcos André Schörner
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Serology Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Pamela Cristina Gaspar
- Department of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Sexually Transmitted Infection, Secretariat of Health Surveillance and Environment, Ministry of Health of Brazil, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Hanalydia de Melo Machado
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Serology Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Motta Martins
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Serology Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Alisson Bigolin
- Department of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Sexually Transmitted Infection, Secretariat of Health Surveillance and Environment, Ministry of Health of Brazil, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | | | - Gerson Fernando Mendes Pereira
- Department of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Sexually Transmitted Infection, Secretariat of Health Surveillance and Environment, Ministry of Health of Brazil, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Angelica Espinosa Miranda
- Department of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Sexually Transmitted Infection, Secretariat of Health Surveillance and Environment, Ministry of Health of Brazil, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, SE-701 85, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK
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10
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Golparian D, Cole MJ, Sánchez-Busó L, Day M, Jacobsson S, Uthayakumaran T, Abad R, Bercot B, Caugant DA, Heuer D, Jansen K, Pleininger S, Stefanelli P, Aanensen DM, Bluemel B, Unemo M. Antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Europe in 2020 compared with in 2013 and 2018: a retrospective genomic surveillance study. THE LANCET. MICROBE 2024; 5:e478-e488. [PMID: 38614111 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(23)00370-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regular quality-assured whole-genome sequencing linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and patient metadata is imperative to elucidate the shifting gonorrhoea epidemiology, both nationally and internationally. We aimed to examine the gonococcal population in the European Economic Area (EEA) in 2020, elucidate emerging and disappearing gonococcal lineages associated with AMR and patient metadata, compare with 2013 and 2018 whole-genome sequencing data, and explain changes in gonococcal AMR and gonorrhoea epidemiology. METHODS In this retrospective genomic surveillance study, we analysed consecutive gonococcal isolates that were collected in EEA countries through the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) in 2020, and made comparisons with Euro-GASP data from 2013 and 2018. All isolates had linked AMR data (based on minimum inhibitory concentration determination) and patient metadata. We performed whole-genome sequencing and molecular typing and AMR determinants were derived from quality-checked whole-genome sequencing data. Links between genomic lineages, AMR, and patient metadata were examined. FINDINGS 1932 gonococcal isolates collected in 2020 in 21 EEA countries were included. The majority (81·2%, 147 of 181 isolates) of azithromycin resistance (present in 9·4%, 181 of 1932) was explained by the continued expansion of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae sequence typing for antimicrobial resistance (NG-STAR) clonal complexes (CCs) 63, 168, and 213 (with mtrD/mtrR promoter mosaic 2) and the novel NG-STAR CC1031 (semi-mosaic mtrD variant 13), associated with men who have sex with men and anorectal or oropharyngeal infections. The declining cefixime resistance (0·5%, nine of 1932) and negligible ceftriaxone resistance (0·1%, one of 1932) was largely because of the progressive disappearance of NG-STAR CC90 (with mosaic penA allele), which was predominant in 2013. No known resistance determinants for novel antimicrobials (zoliflodacin, gepotidacin, and lefamulin) were found. INTERPRETATION Azithromycin-resistant clones, mainly with mtrD mosaic or semi-mosaic variants, appear to be stabilising at a relatively high level in the EEA. This mostly low-level azithromycin resistance might threaten the recommended ceftriaxone-azithromycin therapy, but the negligible ceftriaxone resistance is encouraging. The decreased genomic population diversity and increased clonality could be explained in part by the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in lower importation of novel strains into Europe. FUNDING European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and Örebro University Hospital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | | | - Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Community (FISABIO-Public Health), Valencia, Spain; CIBERESP, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | | | - Raquel Abad
- Reference Laboratory for Neisseria, National Centre of Microbiology-Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Beatrice Bercot
- French National Reference Center for Bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, APHP, Paris Cité University, IAME 1137, Paris, France
| | | | - Dagmar Heuer
- Unit 18: 'Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Pathogens and HIV', Department of Infectious Disease, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Jansen
- Unit 34: 'HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-Borne Infections', Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Paola Stefanelli
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - David M Aanensen
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Benjamin Bluemel
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
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11
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Seib KL, Donovan B, Thng C, Lewis DA, McNulty A, Fairley CK, Yeung B, Jin F, Fraser D, Bavinton BR, Law M, Chen MY, Chow EPF, Whiley DM, Mackie B, Jennings MP, Jennison AV, Lahra MM, Grulich AE. Multicentre double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of the meningococcal B vaccine, 4CMenB (Bexsero), against Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in men who have sex with men: the GoGoVax study protocol. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e081675. [PMID: 38626958 PMCID: PMC11029339 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Gonorrhoea, the sexually transmissible infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has a substantial impact on sexual and reproductive health globally with an estimated 82 million new infections each year worldwide. N. gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance continues to escalate, and disease control is largely reliant on effective therapy as there is no proven effective gonococcal vaccine available. However, there is increasing evidence from observational cohort studies that the serogroup B meningococcal vaccine four-component meningitis B vaccine (4CMenB) (Bexsero), licensed to prevent invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis, may provide cross-protection against the closely related bacterium N. gonorrhoeae. This study will evaluate the efficacy of 4CMenB against N. gonorrhoeae infection in men (cis and trans), transwomen and non-binary people who have sex with men (hereafter referred to as GBM+). METHODS AND ANALYSIS This is a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial in GBM+, either HIV-negative on pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV or living with HIV (CD4 count >350 cells/mm3), who have had a diagnosis of gonorrhoea or infectious syphilis in the last 18 months (a key characteristic associated with a high risk of N. gonorrhoeae infection). Participants are randomised 1:1 to receive two doses of 4CMenB or placebo 3 months apart. Participants have 3-monthly visits over 24 months, which include testing for N. gonorrhoeae and other sexually transmissible infections, collection of demographics, sexual behaviour risks and antibiotic use, and collection of research samples for analysis of N. gonorrhoeae-specific systemic and mucosal immune responses. The primary outcome is the incidence of the first episode of N. gonorrhoeae infection, as determined by nucleic acid amplification tests, post month 4. Additional outcomes consider the incidence of symptomatic or asymptomatic N. gonorrhoeae infection at different anatomical sites (ie, urogenital, anorectum or oropharynx), incidence by N. gonorrhoeae genotype and antimicrobial resistance phenotype, and level and functional activity of N. gonorrhoeae-specific antibodies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethical approval was obtained from the St Vincent's Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, NSW, Australia (ref: 2020/ETH01084). Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and via presentation at national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04415424.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Seib
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Basil Donovan
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Caroline Thng
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Gold Coast Sexual Health, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - David A Lewis
- Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School - Westmead, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anna McNulty
- Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher K Fairley
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Barbara Yeung
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Fengyi Jin
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Doug Fraser
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Benjamin R Bavinton
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthew Law
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marcus Y Chen
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Eric P F Chow
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David M Whiley
- UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Michael P Jennings
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Amy V Jennison
- Public Health Microbiology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, New South Wales Health Pathology Microbiology, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- UNSW Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew E Grulich
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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12
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Ouk V, Heng LS, Virak M, Deng S, Lahra MM, Frankson R, Kreisel K, McDonald R, Escher M, Unemo M, Wi T, Maatouk I. High prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant and XDR Neisseria gonorrhoeae in several cities of Cambodia, 2022-23: WHO Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP). JAC Antimicrob Resist 2024; 6:dlae053. [PMID: 38577702 PMCID: PMC10993901 DOI: 10.1093/jacamr/dlae053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global public health concern. Ceftriaxone is the last effective and recommended option for empirical gonorrhoea therapy worldwide, but several ceftriaxone-resistant cases linked to Asia have been reported internationally. During January 2022-June 2023, the WHO Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP) investigated N. gonorrhoeae AMR and epidemiological factors in patients from 10 clinical sentinel sites in Cambodia. Methods Urethral swabs from males with urethral discharge were cultured. ETEST determined the MIC of five antimicrobials, and EGASP MIC alert values and EUCAST breakpoints were used. EGASP demographic, behavioural and clinical variables were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Results From 437 male patients, 306 had positive N. gonorrhoeae cultures, AMR testing and complete epidemiological data. Resistance to ceftriaxone, cefixime, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin was 15.4%, 43.1%, 14.4% and 97.1%, respectively. Nineteen (6.2%) isolates were resistant to all four antimicrobials and, accordingly, categorized as XDR N. gonorrhoeae. These XDR isolates were collected from 7 of the 10 sentinel sites. No EGASP MIC alert values for gentamicin were reported. The nationally recommended cefixime 400 mg plus azithromycin 1 g (65.4%) or ceftriaxone 1 g plus azithromycin 1 g (34.6%) was used for treatment. Conclusions A high prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant, MDR and XDR N. gonorrhoeae in several cities of Cambodia were found during 2022-23 in WHO EGASP. This necessitates expanded N. gonorrhoeae AMR surveillance, revision of the nationally recommended gonorrhoea treatment, mandatory test of cure, enhanced sexual contact notification, and ultimately novel antimicrobials for the treatment of gonorrhoea.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Ouk
- National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - L Say Heng
- National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - M Virak
- Laboratory of the National Institute of Public Health, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - S Deng
- WHO, Office of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - M M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, New South Wales Health Pathology, Microbiology, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - R Frankson
- Division of STD Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K Kreisel
- Division of STD Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - R McDonald
- Division of STD Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - M Escher
- AMR Division, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - M Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - T Wi
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - I Maatouk
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
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13
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Bishi MA, Kaur P, Vyas M, Sharma S. Ameliorating Gonorrhea: Recent Therapeutic Adaptations and Scope to Improve its Prevailing Condition. Infect Disord Drug Targets 2024; 24:e180124225807. [PMID: 38243969 DOI: 10.2174/0118715265258305231124105334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. According to recent research, the prevalence of gonorrhea has been increasing in many parts of the world, with some areas reporting high rates of antibiotic resistance. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of reported gonorrhea cases increased by 56% between 2015 and 2019. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 87 million new cases of gonorrhea in 2016, with the highest burden of infection in low- and middle-income countries. Research has also shown that gonorrhea is becoming increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics, increasing the prevalence of gonorrhea. This raises concerns and challenges in disease management. OBJECTIVES The present review gives updated insight on the current state of the disease, challenges, and shortcomings of existing approaches along with the modern and alternative direction like vaccine development, its challenges, and scope to confront the existing state of drug resistance and increased rate of incidence. Alternative strategies like immunotherapy and phage therapy along with recent antibiotics researched for the treatment of gonorrhea. CONCLUSION The review provides a thorough insight into the current state of the disease and various available methods used currently and recommended by WHO. To overcome disease prevalence, various alternate therapies are coming into the limelight. However, scientists and researchers show a lack of interest in the drug development and research of gonorrhea, due to less commercial scope, lack of funding, and limited scope in the scientific scenario. These hurdles need to be overcome to meet the WHO vision of reducing gonorrhea by 90% by 2030. So, there is a need to optimize the drug therapy (optimizing dosing schedule, and precision monitoring) to reduce the chance of drug resistance. Also, there is a wide scope for drug and therapeutic system development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munyaradzi Amon Bishi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144401, India
| | - Palwinder Kaur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144401, India
| | - Manish Vyas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144401, India
| | - Sandeep Sharma
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144401, India
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14
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Jacobsson S, Golparian D, Oxelbark J, Kong FYS, Da Costa RMA, Franceschi F, Brown D, Louie A, Drusano G, Unemo M. Pharmacodynamics of zoliflodacin plus doxycycline combination therapy against Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a gonococcal hollow-fiber infection model. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1291885. [PMID: 38130409 PMCID: PMC10733441 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1291885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance in the sexually transmitted bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae is compromising the management and control of gonorrhea globally. Optimized use and enhanced stewardship of current antimicrobials and development of novel antimicrobials are imperative. The first in class zoliflodacin (spiropyrimidinetrione, DNA Gyrase B inhibitor) is a promising novel antimicrobial in late-stage clinical development for gonorrhea treatment, i.e., the phase III randomized controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03959527) was recently finalized, and zoliflodacin showed non-inferiority compared to the recommended ceftriaxone plus azithromycin dual therapy. Doxycycline, the first-line treatment for chlamydia and empiric treatment for non-gonococcal urethritis, will be frequently given together with zoliflodacin because gonorrhea and chlamydia coinfections are common. In a previous static in vitro study, it was indicated that doxycycline/tetracycline inhibited the gonococcal killing of zoliflodacin in 6-h time-kill curve analysis. In this study, our dynamic in vitro hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM) was used to investigate combination therapies with zoliflodacin and doxycycline. Dose-range experiments using the three gonococcal strains WHO F (susceptible to relevant therapeutic antimicrobials), WHO X (extensively drug-resistant, including ceftriaxone-resistant; zoliflodacin-susceptible), and SE600/18 (zoliflodacin-susceptible strain with GyrB S467N substitution) were conducted simulating combination therapy with a single oral dose of zoliflodacin 0.5-4 g combined with a doxycycline daily oral dose of 200 mg administered as 100 mg twice a day, for 7 days (standard dose for chlamydia treatment). Comparing combination therapy of zoliflodacin (0.5-4 g single dose) plus doxycycline (200 mg divided into 100 mg twice a day orally, for 7 days) to zoliflodacin monotherapy (0.5-4 g single dose) showed that combination therapy was slightly more effective than monotherapy in the killing of N. gonorrhoeae and suppressing emergence of zoliflodacin resistance. Accordingly, WHO F was eradicated by only 0.5 g single dose of zoliflodacin in combination with doxycycline, and WHO X and SE600/18 were both eradicated by a 2 g single dose of zoliflodacin in combination with doxycycline; no zoliflodacin-resistant populations occurred during the 7-day experiment when using this zoliflodacin dose. When using suboptimal (0.5-1 g) zoliflodacin doses together with doxycycline, gonococcal mutants with increased zoliflodacin MICs, due to GyrB D429N and the novel GyrB T472P, emerged, but both the mutants had an impaired biofitness. The present study shows the high efficacy of zoliflodacin plus doxycycline combination therapy using a dynamic HFIM that more accurately and comprehensively simulate gonococcal infection and their treatment, i.e., compared to static in vitro models, such as short-time checkerboard experiments or time-kill curve analysis. Based on our dynamic in vitro HFIM work, zoliflodacin plus doxycycline for the treatment of both gonorrhea and chlamydia can be an effective combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Joakim Oxelbark
- Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Fabian Y. S. Kong
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Francois Franceschi
- Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David Brown
- College of Medicine, Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Arnold Louie
- College of Medicine, Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - George Drusano
- College of Medicine, Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
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15
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Kittiyaowamarn R, Girdthep N, Cherdtrakulkiat T, Sangprasert P, Tongtoyai J, Weston E, Borisov A, Dunne EF, Chinhiran K, Woodring J, Ngarmjiratam N, Masciotra S, Frankson R, Sirivongrangson P, Unemo M, Wi T. Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility trends in Bangkok, Thailand, 2015-21: Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP). JAC Antimicrob Resist 2023; 5:dlad139. [PMID: 38115859 PMCID: PMC10729850 DOI: 10.1093/jacamr/dlad139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global public health concern. Many ceftriaxone-resistant cases have been linked to Asia. In the WHO/CDC global Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), we conducted AMR surveillance at two clinical sites in Bangkok, Thailand, 2015-21. Methods Urethral discharge samples, from males with urethral discharge and/or dysuria, were Gram-stained and cultured. ETEST was performed to determine AMR. EGASP MIC alert values, CLSI and EUCAST breakpoints were used. Results In 2015-21, gonococcal isolates were cultured from 1928 cases; most (64.1%) were males reporting having sex with females. The sensitivity and specificity of Gram-stained microscopy compared with culture for detection of gonococci were 97.5% and 96.6%, respectively. From 2015 to 2021, the azithromycin MIC90 increased from 0.125 to 1 mg/L, and the MIC90 of ceftriaxone and cefixime increased from 0.008 and ≤0.016 mg/L to 0.032 and 0.064 mg/L, respectively. Eight EGASP MIC alert values (in seven isolates) were identified. Five alert values were for cefixime (all resistant according to EUCAST breakpoints) and three for azithromycin (all resistant according to EUCAST breakpoints). The average annual resistance to ciprofloxacin during 2015-21 was 92%. Conclusions A continuous high susceptibility to ceftriaxone, Thailand's first-line gonorrhoea treatment, was found. However, the increasing MICs of ceftriaxone, cefixime and azithromycin are a substantial threat, especially considering these are the last remaining options for the treatment of gonorrhoea. To monitor AMR, continuous and quality-assured gonococcal AMR surveillance such as the Thai WHO/CDC EGASP, ideally including WGS, is imperative globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossaphorn Kittiyaowamarn
- Bangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Natnaree Girdthep
- Bangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Thitima Cherdtrakulkiat
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of HIV Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Pongsathorn Sangprasert
- Bangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Jaray Tongtoyai
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of HIV Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Emily Weston
- Division of STD Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrey Borisov
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of HIV Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Eileen F Dunne
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of HIV Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Kittipoom Chinhiran
- Bangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Joseph Woodring
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of HIV Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Nattapon Ngarmjiratam
- Bangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Silvina Masciotra
- Division of HIV Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of HIV Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Rebekah Frankson
- Division of STD Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Pachara Sirivongrangson
- Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Teodora Wi
- Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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16
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Mensah E, Fourie PB, Peters RPH. Antimicrobial effects of Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box compounds on strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0034823. [PMID: 37791750 PMCID: PMC10648949 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00348-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic options for Neisseria gonorrhoeae are limited due to emerging global resistance. New agents and treatment options to treat patients with susceptible and multi-extensively drug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae is a high priority. This study used an in vitro approach to explore the antimicrobial potential, as well as synergistic effects of Medicine for Malaria Venture (MMV) Pathogen Box compounds against ATCC and clinical N. gonorrhoeae strains. Microbroth dilution assay was used to determine pathogen-specific minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the Pathogen Box compounds against susceptible and resistant N. gonorrhoeae strains, with modification, by adding PrestoBlue HS Cell Viability Reagent. A checkerboard assay was used to determine synergy between the active compounds and in conjunction with ceftriaxone. Time-kill kinetics was performed to determine if the compounds were either bactericidal or bacteriostatic. The Pathogen Box compounds: MMV676501, MMV002817, MMV688327, MMV688508, MMV024937, MMV687798 (levofloxacin), MMV021013, and MMV688978 (auranofin) showed potent activity against resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae at an MIC and MBC of ≤10 µM. Besides the eight compounds, MMV676388 and MMV272144 were active against susceptible N. gonorrhoeae strains, also at MIC and MBC of ≤10 µM. All the compounds were bactericidal and were either synergistic or additive with fractional inhibitory concentration index ranging between 0.40 and 1.8. The study identified novel Pathogen Box compounds with potent activity against N. gonorrhoeae strains and has the potential to be further investigated as primary or adjunctive therapy to treat gonococcal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Mensah
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - P. Bernard Fourie
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Remco P. H. Peters
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Foundation for Professional Development, Research Unit, East London, South Africa
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17
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Allen GP, Morrill HL. Safety Aspects and Rational Use of Single Intramuscular Dose Ceftriaxone: Clinical Insights on the Management of Uncomplicated Gonococcal Infections. Drug Healthc Patient Saf 2023; 15:159-170. [PMID: 37941731 PMCID: PMC10629349 DOI: 10.2147/dhps.s350763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is a grave public health concern. Gonorrhea is the second most reported sexually transmitted infection worldwide. The treatment of uncomplicated gonococcal infections has evolved dramatically in response to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Multiple resistance mechanisms (for example, beta-lactamase production, antimicrobial efflux, and target site modification) exist, some of which may cause multidrug-resistance. Ceftriaxone was first recommended as an option for uncomplicated gonococcal infections in 1985, and it is now a mainstay of therapy in all clinical practice guidelines. Ceftriaxone has consistently shown high microbiologic cure rates in clinical trials, and it has demonstrated an excellent safety profile. Although its use may be limited in patients with hypersensitivity to penicillins, the risk of using ceftriaxone in such patients is overestimated. The emergence of reduced ceftriaxone susceptibility in N. gonorrhoeae, coupled with a lack of diverse treatment alternatives and the limited pipeline of new antimicrobials, is a significant threat to the treatment of gonorrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- George P Allen
- School of Pharmacy, Westbrook College of Health Professions, University of New England, Portland, ME, USA
| | - Haley L Morrill
- School of Pharmacy, Westbrook College of Health Professions, University of New England, Portland, ME, USA
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18
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Buder S. [Urethritis-spectrum of pathogens, diagnostics and treatment]. DERMATOLOGIE (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 74:835-850. [PMID: 37847382 DOI: 10.1007/s00105-023-05230-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
A broad spectrum of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses can cause urethritis. In particular, N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, M. genitalium and T. vaginalis are the focus of diagnostic considerations as classic pathogens associated with sexually transmitted infections (STI). A step-by-step procedure is needed to make a definitive diagnosis. Microscopy with a staining preparation provides an initial differentiation between gonoccocal and non-gonococcal urethritis in symptomatic men as a point-of-care (POC) test. Nucleic acid amplification technology (NAAT) is used for specific and sensitive pathogen detection and, as a multiplex diagnostic test, offers the possibility of detecting several organisms from the same sample. In addition, compared to culture, no vital organisms are required, which allows the collection and use of more diverse and less invasive biological samples (e.g. first stream urine in men or vaginal swabs). Susceptibility testing by culture remains essential for N. gonorrhoeae as resistance is emerging. The treatment of urethritis depends on the suspected or proven pathogen according to the current guidelines. Treatment failure can be caused by many factors (coinfection, lack of therapy adherence, reinfection or resistance of the pathogen) and requires a repeated diagnostic and therapeutic procedure and differentiated approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Buder
- Klinik für Dermatologie und Venerologie, Vivantes Klinikum Berlin Neukölln, Rudower Str. 48, 12351, Berlin, Deutschland.
- Konsiliarlabor für Gonokokken, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland.
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19
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Adamczyk-Popławska M, Golec P, Piekarowicz A, Kwiatek A. The potential for bacteriophages and prophage elements in fighting and preventing the gonorrhea. Crit Rev Microbiol 2023:1-16. [PMID: 37897236 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2023.2274849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages are the most numerous entities on earth and are found everywhere their bacterial hosts live. As natural bacteria killers, phages are extensively investigated as a potential cure for bacterial infections. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus) is the etiologic agent of a sexually transmitted disease: gonorrhea. The rapid increase of resistance of N. gonorrhoeae to antibiotics urges scientists to look for alternative treatments to combat gonococcal infections. Phage therapy has not been tested as an anti-gonococcal therapy so far. To date, no lytic phage has been discovered against N. gonorrhoeae. Nevertheless, gonococcal genomes contain both dsDNA and ssDNA prophages, and viral particle induction has been documented. In this review, we consider literature data about the attempts of hunting for a bacteriophage specific for gonococci - the gonophage. We also discuss the potential application of prophage elements in the fight against N. gonorrhoeae. Temperate phages may be useful in preventing and treating gonorrhea as a scaffold for anti-gonococcal vaccine development and as a source of lytic enzymes with anti-gonococcal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Adamczyk-Popławska
- Department of Molecular Virology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Golec
- Department of Molecular Virology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Piekarowicz
- Department of Molecular Virology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Kwiatek
- Department of Molecular Virology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Microbiology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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20
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Wang D, Li Y, Zhang C, Zeng Y, Peng J, Wang F. Genomic epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Shenzhen, China, during 2019-2020: increased spread of ceftriaxone-resistant isolates brings insights for strengthening public health responses. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0172823. [PMID: 37732794 PMCID: PMC10580820 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01728-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in gonorrhea poses global threat of increasing public health concern. In response to this concern, molecular surveillance has been widely utilized to detail the changes in the evolution and distribution of Neisseria gonorrhoeae during AMR transmission. In this study, we performed a comprehensive molecular surveillance of 664 N. gonorrhoeae isolates collected in Shenzhen, one of the cities with the largest mobile population in China, 2019-2020. In 2020, ceftriaxone showed an unprecedented high resistance rate of 24.87%, and 67.83% of the ceftriaxone-resistant (Cro-R) isolates harbored a nonmosaic penA allele. The Cro-R isolates with nonmosaic penA alleles showed a tremendous increasing trend from 0.00% in 2014 to 20.45% in 2020, which proves the need for monitoring nonmosaic penA-related resistance. Importantly, genotyping indicated that multilocus sequence typing ST11231 (35.71%) had a notable rate of ceftriaxone resistance, which might become the focus of future surveillance. Whole-genome sequencing analysis showed that the internationally spreading FC428 clones have circulated in Shenzhen region with typical ceftriaxone resistance (MIC ≥ 0.5 mg/L) maintained. Our surveillance combined with genomic analysis provides current information to update gonorrhea management guidelines and emphasizes that continuous AMR surveillance for N. gonorrhoeae is essential. IMPORTANCE We conducted a comprehensive molecular epidemiology analysis for antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Shenzhen during 2019-2020, which provided important data for personalized treatment and adjustment of monitoring strategy. Briefly, the proportion of ceftriaxone-resistant (Cro-R) isolates reached a stunning prevalence rate of 24.87% in 2020. A typical increment of Cro-R isolates with nonmosaic penA alleles proves the necessity of monitoring nonmosaic AMR mechanism and involving it into developing molecular detection methods. Whole-genome sequencing analysis showed that the international spreading FC428 clone has been circulating in Shenzhen with typical ceftriaxone resistance (MIC ≥ 0.5 mg/L) maintained. In summary, we conducted a comprehensive epidemiology study, providing significant data for therapy management. Our results not only improve the understanding of the distribution and transmission of AMR in N. gonorrhoeae but also provide effective AMR data for improving surveillance strategies in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yamei Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yaling Zeng
- Shenzhen Center for Chronic Disease Control, Shenzhen Institute of Dermatology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, China
| | - Junping Peng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Pathogenomics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogen Infection Prevention and Control (Peking Union Medical College), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Center for Chronic Disease Control, Shenzhen Institute of Dermatology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, China
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21
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Ouk V, Pham CD, Wi T, van Hal SJ, Lahra MM. The Enhanced Gonococcal Surveillance Programme, Cambodia. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 23:e332-e333. [PMID: 37549683 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00479-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vichea Ouk
- National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Cau Dinh Pham
- Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Teodora Wi
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva Switzerland
| | - Sebastiaan J van Hal
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Microbiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, New South Wales Health Pathology, Microbiology, The Prince of Wales Hospital Randwick, NSW, Australia.
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22
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Maubaret C, Caméléna F, Mrimèche M, Braille A, Liberge M, Mainardis M, Guillaume C, Noel F, Bébéar C, Molina JM, Lot F, Chazelle E, Berçot B. Two cases of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection combining ceftriaxone-resistance and high-level azithromycin resistance, France, November 2022 and May 2023. Euro Surveill 2023; 28:2300456. [PMID: 37707979 PMCID: PMC10687985 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2023.28.37.2300456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
We report two extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) isolates combining high-level resistance to azithromycin and resistance to ceftriaxone, obtained in France from two heterosexual patients, one of whom returned from Cambodia. Whole genome sequencing identified MLST ST16406, the mosaic penA-60.001 which caused ceftriaxone resistance in the internationally spreading FC428 clone, and the A2059G mutation in the 23S rRNA gene. The NG isolates F93 and F94 were related to XDR isolates detected in Austria and the United Kingdom in 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Maubaret
- Paris Cité University, INSERM1137, IAME, Paris, France
- These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - François Caméléna
- Paris Cité University, INSERM1137, IAME, Paris, France
- These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Manel Mrimèche
- Paris Cité University, INSERM1137, IAME, Paris, France
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Aymeric Braille
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Liberge
- Paris Cité University, INSERM1137, IAME, Paris, France
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Mary Mainardis
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | | | - Franck Noel
- Bioxa Laboratoire, Microbiology Laboratory, Bezannes, France
| | - Cécile Bébéar
- University of Bordeaux, USC EA 3671 Mycoplasmal and Chlamydial Infections in Humans, Bordeaux, France
- University Hospital, Bacteriology Department, French National Reference Centre for Bacterial STIs, Bordeaux France
| | - Jean-Michel Molina
- Paris Cité University, INSERM, UMR S976, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Infectious Disease Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière Hospitals, Paris, France
| | - Florence Lot
- Santé publique France, the national public health agency, Saint-Maurice, France
| | - Emilie Chazelle
- Santé publique France, the national public health agency, Saint-Maurice, France
| | - Béatrice Berçot
- Paris Cité University, INSERM1137, IAME, Paris, France
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis - Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
- French National Reference Centre for bacterial STI, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
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23
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Wang D, Wang Y, Li Y, Xiu L, Yong G, Yang Y, Gu W, Peng J. Identification of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae FC428 clone and isolates harboring a novel mosaic penA gene in Chengdu in 2019-2020. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2023; 22:73. [PMID: 37592240 PMCID: PMC10436653 DOI: 10.1186/s12941-023-00614-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea has become a growing global public health burden. Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with resistance to ceftriaxone, the last remaining first-line option, represent an emerging threat of untreatable gonorrhea. METHODS A total of ten ceftriaxone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae FC428 isolates and two isolates harboring a novel mosaic penA-232.001 allele from 160 gonococcal isolates in Chengdu in 2019-2020 was described in the present study. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and N. gonorrhoeae sequence typing for antimicrobial resistance (NG-STAR) were performed to characterize the isolates. Whole genome sequencing and maximum-likelihood method were performed to infer how the genetic phylogenetic tree of these isolates looks like. Recombination analysis was performed using the RDP4 software. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100048771, registration date: 20210716). RESULTS The genetic phylogeny showed that the ten FC428 isolates sporadically clustered into different phylogenetic clades, suggesting different introductions and local transmission of FC428. Two isolates showed close genetic relatedness to ceftriaxone-resistant clone A8806, which was only reported from Australia in 2013. Homologous recombination events were detected in penA between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and commensal Neisseria species (N. perflava and N. polysaccharea), providing evidence of commensal Neisseria species might serve as reservoirs of ceftriaxone resistance-mediating penA sequences in clinical gonococcal strains. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate further dissemination of FC428 in China and resurgence risks of sporadic ceftriaxone-resistant A8806 to become the next clone to spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Pathogenomics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Youwei Wang
- Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Yamei Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Pathogenomics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Leshan Xiu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Pathogenomics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Yong
- Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiming Gu
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Junping Peng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Pathogenomics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
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24
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Kakooza F, Golparian D, Matoga M, Maseko V, Lamorde M, Krysiak R, Manabe YC, Chen JS, Kularatne R, Jacobsson S, Godreuil S, Hoffman I, Bercot B, Wi T, Unemo M. Genomic surveillance and antimicrobial resistance determinants in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Uganda, Malawi and South Africa, 2015-20. J Antimicrob Chemother 2023; 78:1982-1991. [PMID: 37352017 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkad193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is essential. In 2017-18, only five (10.6%) countries in the WHO African Region reported to the WHO Global Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (WHO GASP). Genomics enhances our understanding of gonococcal populations nationally and internationally, including AMR strain transmission; however, genomic studies from Africa are extremely scarce. We describe the gonococcal genomic lineages/sublineages, including AMR determinants, and baseline genomic diversity among strains in Uganda, Malawi and South Africa, 2015-20, and compare with sequences from Kenya and Burkina Faso. METHODS Gonococcal isolates cultured in Uganda (n = 433), Malawi (n = 154) and South Africa (n = 99) in 2015-20 were genome-sequenced. MICs were determined using ETEST. Sequences of isolates from Kenya (n = 159), Burkina Faso (n = 52) and the 2016 WHO reference strains (n = 14) were included in the analysis. RESULTS Resistance to ciprofloxacin was high in all countries (57.1%-100%). All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, cefixime and spectinomycin, and 99.9% were susceptible to azithromycin. AMR determinants for ciprofloxacin, benzylpenicillin and tetracycline were common, but rare for cephalosporins and azithromycin. Most isolates belonged to the more antimicrobial-susceptible lineage B (n = 780) compared with the AMR lineage A (n = 141), and limited geographical phylogenomic signal was observed. CONCLUSIONS We report the first multi-country gonococcal genomic comparison from Africa, which will support the WHO GASP and WHO enhanced GASP (EGASP). The high prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin (and empirical use continues), tetracycline and benzylpenicillin, and the emerging resistance determinants for azithromycin show it is imperative to strengthen the gonococcal AMR surveillance, ideally including genomics, in African countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Kakooza
- Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Daniel Golparian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | | | - Venessa Maseko
- Centre for HIV and STIs, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mohammed Lamorde
- Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Yuka C Manabe
- Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jane S Chen
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ranmini Kularatne
- Labtests Laboratory and Head Office, Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Sylvain Godreuil
- Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, and MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Irving Hoffman
- UNC Project Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Beatrice Bercot
- Infectious Agents Department, French National Reference Centre for Bacterial STIs, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, and APHP, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Teodora Wi
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Magnus Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
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Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Holley CL, Shafer WM, Unemo M. High-level in vitro resistance to gentamicin acquired in a stepwise manner in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Antimicrob Chemother 2023; 78:1769-1778. [PMID: 37253051 PMCID: PMC10517096 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkad168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gentamicin is used in several alternative treatments for gonorrhoea. Verified clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with gentamicin resistance are mainly lacking and understanding the mechanisms for gonococcal gentamicin resistance is imperative. We selected gentamicin resistance in gonococci in vitro, identified the novel gentamicin-resistance mutations, and examined the biofitness of a high-level gentamicin-resistant mutant. METHODS Low- and high-level gentamicin resistance was selected in WHO X (gentamicin MIC = 4 mg/L) on gentamicin-gradient agar plates. Selected mutants were whole-genome sequenced. Potential gentamicin-resistance fusA mutations were transformed into WT strains to verify their impact on gentamicin MICs. The biofitness of high-level gentamicin-resistant mutants was examined using a competitive assay in a hollow-fibre infection model. RESULTS WHO X mutants with gentamicin MICs of up to 128 mg/L were selected. Primarily selected fusA mutations were further investigated, and fusAR635L and fusAM520I + R635L were particularly interesting. Different mutations in fusA and ubiM were found in low-level gentamicin-resistant mutants, while fusAM520I was associated with high-level gentamicin resistance. Protein structure predictions showed that fusAM520I is located in domain IV of the elongation factor-G (EF-G). The high-level gentamicin-resistant WHO X mutant was outcompeted by the gentamicin-susceptible WHO X parental strain, suggesting lower biofitness. CONCLUSIONS We describe the first high-level gentamicin-resistant gonococcal isolate (MIC = 128 mg/L), which was selected in vitro through experimental evolution. The most substantial increases of the gentamicin MICs were caused by mutations in fusA (G1560A and G1904T encoding EF-G M520I and R635L, respectively) and ubiM (D186N). The high-level gentamicin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae mutant showed impaired biofitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Golparian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Concerta L Holley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - William M Shafer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Magnus Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK
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Whiley DM, Tickner JA, Kundu RL, Hogan TR, van Hal SJ, Lahra MM. Selection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae ceftriaxone resistance using doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023:S1473-3099(23)00359-6. [PMID: 37321241 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00359-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David M Whiley
- UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Pathology Queensland Central Laboratory, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Jacob A Tickner
- UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ratan L Kundu
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, New South Wales Health Pathology Microbiology, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tiffany R Hogan
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, New South Wales Health Pathology Microbiology, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sebastiaan J van Hal
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, NSW Health Pathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Monica M Lahra
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, New South Wales Health Pathology Microbiology, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Goodarzi NN, Ajdary S, Yekaninejad MS, Fereshteh S, Pourmand MR, Badmasti F. Reverse vaccinology approaches to introduce promising immunogenic and drug targets against antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Thinking outside the box in current prevention and treatment. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 112:105449. [PMID: 37225067 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Gonorrhea is an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat and its therapeutic options are continuously getting restricted. Moreover, no vaccine has been approved against it so far. Hence, the present study aimed to introduce novel immunogenic and drug targets against antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains. In the first step, the core proteins of 79 complete genomes of N. gonorrhoeae were retrieved. Next, the surface-exposed proteins were evaluated from different aspects such as antigenicity, allergenicity, conservancy, and B-cell and T-cell epitopes to introduce promising immunogenic candidates. Then, the interactions with human Toll-like receptors (TLR-1, 2, and 4), and immunoreactivity to elicit humoral and cellular immune responses were simulated. On the other hand, to identify novel broad-spectrum drug targets, the cytoplasmic and essential proteins were detected. Then, the N. gonorrhoeae metabolome-specific proteins were compared to the drug targets of the DrugBank, and novel drug targets were retrieved. Finally, the protein data bank (PDB) file availability and prevalence among the ESKAPE group and common sexually transmitted infection (STI) agents were assessed. Our analyses resulted in the recognition of ten novel and putative immunogenic targets including murein transglycosylase A, PBP1A, Opa, NlpD, Azurin, MtrE, RmpM, LptD, NspA, and TamA. Moreover, four potential and broad-spectrum drug targets were identified including UMP kinase, GlyQ, HU family DNA-binding protein, and IF-1. Some of the shortlisted immunogenic and drug targets have confirmed roles in adhesion, immune evasion, and antibiotic resistance that can induce bactericidal antibodies. Other immunogenic and drug targets might be associated with the virulence of N. gonorrhoeae as well. Thus, further experimental studies and site-directed mutations are recommended to investigate the role of potential vaccine and drug targets in the pathogenesis of N. gonorrhoeae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Noori Goodarzi
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Soheila Ajdary
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mir Saeed Yekaninejad
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Reza Pourmand
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Farzad Badmasti
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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Liao Y, Xie Q, Li X, Yin X, Wu X, Liu M, Pan Y, Zeng L, Yang J, Feng Z, Qin X, Zheng H. Dissemination of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins in Southern China, 2021: a genome-wide surveillance from 20 cities. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2023; 22:39. [PMID: 37198645 DOI: 10.1186/s12941-023-00587-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of untreatable gonococcal infection is an emerging threat, especially in Guangdong, a prosperous province in Southern China. METHODS N.gonorrhoeae was isolated from 20 cities in Guangdong and determined antimicrobial susceptibility. Through whole-genome sequencing (WGS), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), N.gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST), and N.gonorrhoeae sequence typing for antimicrobial resistance (NG-STAR) were obtained based on the PubMLST database ( https://pubmlst.org/ ). Phylogenetic analysis was used for dissemination and tracking analysis. RESULTS Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed on 347 isolates, and 50 isolates were identified as decreased susceptibility (DS) to cephalosporins. Of which 16.0% (8/50) were ceftriaxone DS, 38.0% (19/50) were cefixime DS, and 46.0% (23/50) were both ceftriaxone and cefixime DS. In all, the dual-resistant rate of the cephalosporin-DS isolates was 96.0% for penicillin and 98.0% for tetracycline-resistant, and 10.0% (5/50) were resistant to azithromycin. All cephalosporin-DS isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin but sensitive to spectinomycin. The predominant MLSTs were ST7363 (16%, 8/50), ST1903 (14%, 7/50), ST1901 (12%, 6/50), and ST7365 (10%, 5/50). Besides some isolates that failed genotyping (NA), NG-STAR ST1143 (n = 6) and NG-MAST ST17748 (n = 4) were the most prevalent. Twelve isolates with mosaic penA-60.001 allele retained the most elevated cephalosporin MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that epidemic penA-60.001 clones, either domestic or foreign, had spread to nine cities in Guangdong, and 9/12 clones were from the Pearl River Delta region. CONCLUSIONS N. gonorrhoeae with cephalosporins-DS was extensively disseminated in Guangdong, Southern China, requiring strict surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Liao
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Qinghui Xie
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Li
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaona Yin
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingzhong Wu
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Mingjing Liu
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuying Pan
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Lihong Zeng
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Jianjiang Yang
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhanqin Feng
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaolin Qin
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China.
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
| | - Heping Zheng
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Lujing Road 2, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, 510091, Guangdong, China.
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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Riou J, Althaus CL, Allen H, Cole MJ, Grad YH, Heijne JCM, Unemo M, Low N. Projecting the development of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae from antimicrobial surveillance data: a mathematical modelling study. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:252. [PMID: 37081443 PMCID: PMC10116452 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08200-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The World Health Organization recommends changing the first-line antimicrobial treatment for gonorrhoea when ≥ 5% of Neisseria gonorrhoeae cases fail treatment or are resistant. Susceptibility to ceftriaxone, the last remaining treatment option has been decreasing in many countries. We used antimicrobial resistance surveillance data and developed mathematical models to project the time to reach the 5% threshold for resistance to first-line antimicrobials used for N. gonorrhoeae. METHODS We used data from the Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme (GRASP) in England and Wales from 2000-2018 about minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, cefixime and ceftriaxone and antimicrobial treatment in two groups, heterosexual men and women (HMW) and men who have sex with men (MSM). We developed two susceptible-infected-susceptible models to fit these data and produce projections of the proportion of resistance until 2030. The single-step model represents the situation in which a single mutation results in antimicrobial resistance. In the multi-step model, the sequential accumulation of resistance mutations is reflected by changes in the MIC distribution. RESULTS The single-step model described resistance to ciprofloxacin well. Both single-step and multi-step models could describe azithromycin and cefixime resistance, with projected resistance levels higher with the multi-step than the single step model. For ceftriaxone, with very few observed cases of full resistance, the multi-step model was needed to describe long-term dynamics of resistance. Extrapolating from the observed upward drift in MIC values, the multi-step model projected ≥ 5% resistance to ceftriaxone could be reached by 2030, based on treatment pressure alone. Ceftriaxone resistance was projected to rise to 13.2% (95% credible interval [CrI]: 0.7-44.8%) among HMW and 19.6% (95%CrI: 2.6-54.4%) among MSM by 2030. CONCLUSIONS New first-line antimicrobials for gonorrhoea treatment are needed. In the meantime, public health authorities should strengthen surveillance for AMR in N. gonorrhoeae and implement strategies for continued antimicrobial stewardship. Our models show the utility of long-term representative surveillance of gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility data and can be adapted for use in, and for comparison with, other countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Riou
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Christian L Althaus
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Janneke C M Heijne
- Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Social Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Nicola Low
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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30
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Golparian D, Vestberg N, Södersten W, Jacobsson S, Ohnishi M, Fang H, Bhattarai KH, Unemo M. Multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolate SE690: mosaic penA-60.001 gene causing ceftriaxone resistance internationally has spread to the more antimicrobial-susceptible genomic lineage, Sweden, September 2022. Euro Surveill 2023; 28:2300125. [PMID: 36892469 PMCID: PMC9999460 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2023.28.10.2300125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We report a ceftriaxone-resistant, multidrug-resistant urogenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a female sex worker in Sweden, September 2022, who was treated with ceftriaxone 1 g, but did not return for test-of-cure. Whole genome sequencing of isolate SE690 identified MLST ST8130, NG-STAR CC1885 (new NG-STAR ST4859) and mosaic penA-60.001. The latter, causing ceftriaxone resistance in the internationally spreading FC428 clone, has now also spread to the more antimicrobial-susceptible genomic lineage B, showing that strains across the gonococcal phylogeny can develop ceftriaxone resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Ӧrebro University, Ӧrebro, Sweden
| | - Nora Vestberg
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Wiktor Södersten
- Department of Venerology at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Ӧrebro University, Ӧrebro, Sweden
| | - Makoto Ohnishi
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hong Fang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Karin Haij Bhattarai
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Magnus Unemo
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom.,WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Ӧrebro University, Ӧrebro, Sweden
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Luckey A, Alirol E, Delhomme S, O'Donnell J, Bettiol E, Mueller J, O'Brien S, Gillon JY. Effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of zoliflodacin granules for oral suspension: Phase I open-label randomized cross-over study in healthy subjects. Clin Transl Sci 2023; 16:770-780. [PMID: 36824016 PMCID: PMC10176008 DOI: 10.1111/cts.13487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection for which antibiotic treatment options have declined due to increasing antibiotic resistance. Zoliflodacin, an investigational oral spiropyrimidinetrione antibiotic with activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains that are multidrug-resistant, including to third-generation cephalosporins, is in phase III development for uncomplicated gonorrhea. This phase I, parallel, open-label, randomized, crossover study in healthy adults evaluated the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of single 3 or 4 g doses of zoliflodacin administered as granules for oral suspension in the fasted state or after consumption of a standardized high-fat meal. Forty-seven out of 48 randomized subjects completed the study. Oral administration of zoliflodacin with food delayed the absorption rate, compared with fasted state, with time to maximum concentration (Tmax ) increasing from 3 to 6 h for the 3 g dose, and 2.5 to 4 h for the 4 g dose, but had no impact on the elimination of zoliflodacin. The maximum concentration (Cmax ) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to 24 h (AUC(0-24) ) significantly increased with food by 52% and 94% for the 3 g dose, and by 89% and 108% for the 4 g dose. Forty-two percent of participants reported a total of 34 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), which were all considered mild in severity. Headache was the most common TEAE (22/48 subjects, 45.8%) and the only TEAE reported in more than one subject. In conclusion, administration of single 3 and 4 g doses of zoliflodacin as granules for oral suspension, with a high-fat meal was well-tolerated and resulted in statistically significant increases in peak and overall systemic exposure to zoliflodacin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - John Mueller
- Entasis Therapeutics, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
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Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Sánchez-Busó L, Bazzo ML, Lan PT, Galarza P, Ohnishi M, Unemo M. GyrB in silico mining in 27 151 global gonococcal genomes from 1928-2021 combined with zoliflodacin in vitro testing of 71 international gonococcal isolates with different GyrB, ParC and ParE substitutions confirms high susceptibility. J Antimicrob Chemother 2022; 78:150-154. [PMID: 36308328 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkac366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global threat and novel treatment alternatives are imperative. Herein, susceptibility to the novel antimicrobial zoliflodacin, currently in a global Phase 3 randomized controlled clinical trial for gonorrhoea treatment, was investigated by screening for zoliflodacin GyrB target mutations in publicly available gonococcal genomes and, where feasible, determination of the associated zoliflodacin MIC. METHODS The European Nucleotide Archive was queried using the search term 'Taxon: 485'. DNA sequences from 27 151 gonococcal isolates were analysed and gyrB, gyrA, parC and parE alleles characterized. RESULTS GyrB amino acid alterations were rare (97.0% of isolates had a wild-type GyrB sequence). GyrB V470L (2.7% of isolates) was the most prevalent alteration, followed by S467N (0.12%), N. meningitidis GyrB (0.092%), V470I (0.059%), Q468R/P (0.015%), A466T (0.0074%), L425I + L465I (0.0037%), L465I (0.0037%), G482S (0.0037%) and D429V (0.0037%). Only one isolate (0.0037%) carried a substitution in a resistance-associated GyrB codon (D429V), resulting in a zoliflodacin MIC of 8 mg/L. None of the other detected gyrB, gyrA, parC or parE mutations caused a zoliflodacin MIC outside the wild-type MIC distribution. CONCLUSIONS The zoliflodacin target GyrB was highly conserved among 27 151 global gonococcal isolates cultured in 1928-2021. The single zoliflodacin-resistant clinical isolate (0.0037%) was cultured from a male patient in Japan in 2000. Evidently, this strain has not clonally expanded nor has the gyrB zoliflodacin-resistance mutation disseminated through horizontal gene transfer to other strains. Phenotypic and genomic surveillance, including gyrB mutations, of zoliflodacin susceptibility are imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Golparian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Community (FISABIO-Public Health), Valencia, Spain and Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Luiza Bazzo
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Serology Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Pham Thi Lan
- Hanoi Medical University, National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Patricia Galarza
- National Reference Laboratory for STDs, National Institute of Infectious Diseases-ANLIS 'Dr Carlos G. Malbrán', Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Makoto Ohnishi
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Magnus Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.,Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
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Yang F, Liu J, Gu Y, Jiao R, Yan J, Gao S, Lin X, van der Veen S. Antimicrobial Activity of Auranofin, Cannabidivarin, and Tolfenamic Acid against Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0395222. [PMID: 36350125 PMCID: PMC9769797 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03952-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative antimicrobial therapies are urgently required for the multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, for which currently ceftriaxone is the only remaining recommended first-line therapy. Repurposing of drugs that are approved for other clinical applications offers an efficient approach for development of alternative antimicrobial therapies. Auranofin, cannabidivarin, and tolfenamic acid were recently identified to display antimicrobial activity against N. gonorrhoeae. Here, we investigated their activity against a collection of 575 multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. All three compounds displayed consistent antimicrobial activity against all isolates, including against strains associated with the high-level ceftriaxone-resistant FC428 clone, with both the mode and MIC90 for auranofin of 0.5 mg/L, while both the mode and MIC90 for cannabidivarin and tolfenamic acid were 8 mg/L. Correlations between MICs of ceftriaxone and auranofin, cannabidivarin or tolfenamic acid were low, indicating that development of cross-resistance is unlikely. Furthermore, antimicrobial synergy analysis between ceftriaxone and auranofin, cannabidivarin, or tolfenamic acid by determination of the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) resulted in an interpretation of indifference. Finally, time-kill analyses showed that all three compounds are bactericidal against both the N. gonorrhoeae ATCC 49226 reference strain and an FC428-associated clinical isolate, with particularly cannabidivarin displaying rapid bactericidal activity. Overall, auranofin, cannabidivarin, and tolfenamic acid displayed consistent antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae, warranting further exploration of their suitability as alternative antimicrobials for treatment of gonococcal infections. IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major public health concern because of the high incidence of gonorrhea and the increasingly limited options for antimicrobial therapy. Strains associated with the FC428 clone are a particular concern because they have shown global dissemination and they display high-level resistance against the currently recommended ceftriaxone therapy. Therefore, development of alternative antimicrobial therapies is urgently required to ensure treatment of gonorrhea remains available in the future. Repurposing of clinically approved drugs could be a rapid approach for the development of such alternative antimicrobials. In this study, we showed that repurposing of auranofin, cannabidivarin, and tolfenamic acid for antimicrobial therapy of gonorrhea deserves further clinical explorations because these compounds displayed consistent antimicrobial activity against a large collection of contemporary multidrug-resistant gonococcal isolates that included strains associated with the FC428 clone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Yang
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jin Liu
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuhua Gu
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ruilin Jiao
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Yan
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuai Gao
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xu’ai Lin
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Stijn van der Veen
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Dermatology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
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Berçot B, Caméléna F, Mérimèche M, Jacobsson S, Sbaa G, Mainardis M, Valin C, Molina JM, Bébéar C, Chazelle E, Lot F, Golparian D, Unemo M. Ceftriaxone-resistant, multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae with a novel mosaic penA-237.001 gene, France, June 2022. Euro Surveill 2022; 27:2200899. [PMID: 36695466 PMCID: PMC9808317 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2022.27.50.2200899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a ceftriaxone-resistant, multidrug-resistant urogenital gonorrhoea case in a heterosexual woman in France, June 2022. The woman was successfully treated with azithromycin 2 g. She had unprotected sex with her regular partner, who developed urethritis following travel to Vietnam and Switzerland. Whole genome sequencing of the gonococcal isolate (F92) identified MLST ST1901, NG-STAR CC-199, and the novel mosaic penA-237.001, which caused ceftriaxone resistance. penA-237.001 is 98.7% identical to penA-60.001, reported in various ceftriaxone-resistant strains, including the internationally spreading FC428 clone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Béatrice Berçot
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, IAME, Paris, France,APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France ,French National Reference Centre for bacterial STIs, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - François Caméléna
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, IAME, Paris, France,APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France ,French National Reference Centre for bacterial STIs, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Manel Mérimèche
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, IAME, Paris, France,APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France ,French National Reference Centre for bacterial STIs, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Ӧrebro University, Ӧrebro, Sweden
| | - Ghalia Sbaa
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France ,French National Reference Centre for bacterial STIs, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | - Mary Mainardis
- APHP, Infectious Agents Department, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France ,French National Reference Centre for bacterial STIs, Associated Laboratory for Gonococci, Paris, France
| | | | - Jean-Michel Molina
- AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Lariboisière, Département de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Paris, France,Université Paris Cité, UMR S976, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Bébéar
- University of Bordeaux, USC EA 3671, Mycoplasmal and Chlamydial Infections in Humans, Bordeaux University Hospital, French National Reference Centre for Bacterial STIs, Bordeaux, France
| | - Emilie Chazelle
- Santé Publique France, French National Public Health Agency, Saint-Maurice, France
| | - Florence Lot
- Santé Publique France, French National Public Health Agency, Saint-Maurice, France
| | - Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Ӧrebro University, Ӧrebro, Sweden
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Ӧrebro University, Ӧrebro, Sweden,Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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35
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Nokchan N, Nitayanon P, Tribuddharat C. Molecular epidemiology of penicillinase-producing <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> isolates and their <i>bla</i><sub>TEM-135</sub> gene variant in Bangkok, Thailand, 2015–2017. Jpn J Infect Dis 2022; 76:126-134. [PMID: 36450575 DOI: 10.7883/yoken.jjid.2022.484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) possessing blaTEM-135 is a serious public health threat. With only a single change in the amino acid sequence, blaTEM-135 could evolve into a TEM-type extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), which hydrolyzes extended-spectrum cephalosporins, including ceftriaxone and cefixime. We investigated the molecular epidemiological characteristics, types of plasmids in PPNG isolates, and prevalence of PPNG clinical isolates producing TEM-135 beta-lactamases. N. gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) was used to determine the molecular epidemiological characteristics of 99 PPNG isolates collected from 2015 to 2017. A mismatch amplification mutation assay was used to examine the blaTEM-135 gene prevalence. Of the 89 identified NG-MAST sequence types, 65 (73.0%) were novel. Only 17.7% (43/243) of PPNG isolates belonged to 16 genogroups. The most frequent plasmid was African, followed by Rio/Toronto, and Asian. The blaTEM-135 allele was found in Rio/Toronto plasmids. The blaTEM-135 allele was present in 23.2% (23/99) of the PPNG isolates. PPNG isolates expressing TEM-135 beta-lactamase exhibited significantly higher penicillin MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values than TEM-1 PPNG isolates. The PPNG isolates showed high genetic diversity and a high proportion of blaTEM-135 alleles. Mutation of the blaTEM-135 allele is worrisome as only one mutation could cause TEM-1 to evolve into an ESBL variant that degrades ceftriaxone. Ongoing surveillance of blaTEM-135 and new PPNG isolates is imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natakorn Nokchan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand
| | - Perapon Nitayanon
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand
| | - Chanwit Tribuddharat
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand
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36
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Jacobsson S, Golparian D, Oxelbark J, Wicha WW, da Costa RMA, Franceschi F, Brown D, Louie A, Gelone SP, Drusano G, Unemo M. Pharmacodynamic evaluation of lefamulin in the treatment of gonorrhea using a hollow fiber infection model simulating Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1035841. [PMID: 36452226 PMCID: PMC9702083 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1035841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is seriously threatening the treatment and control of gonorrhea globally. Novel treatment options are essential, coupled with appropriate methods to pharmacodynamically examine the efficacy and resistance emergence of these novel drugs. Herein, we used our dynamic in vitro hollow fiber infection model (HFIM) to evaluate protein-unbound lefamulin, a semisynthetic pleuromutilin, against N. gonorrhoeae. Dose-range and dose-fractionation experiments with N. gonorrhoeae reference strains: WHO F (susceptible to all relevant antimicrobials), WHO X (extensively drug-resistant, including ceftriaxone resistance), and WHO V (high-level azithromycin resistant, and highest gonococcal MIC of lefamulin (2 mg/l) reported), were performed to examine lefamulin gonococcal killing and resistance development during treatment. The dose-range experiments, simulating a single oral dose of lefamulin based on human plasma concentrations, indicated that ≥1.2 g, ≥2.8 g, and ≥9.6 g of lefamulin were required to eradicate WHO F, X, and V, respectively. Dose-fractionation experiments, based on human lefamulin plasma concentrations, showed that WHO X was eradicated with ≥2.8 g per day when administered as q12 h (1.4 g twice a day) and with ≥3.6 g per day when administered as q8 h (1.2 g thrice a day), both for 7 days. However, when simulating the treatment with 5-10 times higher concentrations of free lefamulin in relevant gonorrhea tissues (based on urogenital tissues in a rat model), 600 mg every 12 h for 5 days (approved oral treatment for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia) eradicated all strains, and no lefamulin resistance emerged in the successful treatment arms. In many arms failing single or multiple dose treatments for WHO X, lefamulin-resistant mutants (MIC = 2 mg/l), containing an A132V amino acid substitution in ribosomal protein L3, were selected. Nevertheless, these lefamulin-resistant mutants demonstrated an impaired biofitness. In conclusion, a clinical study is warranted to elucidate the clinical potential of lefamulin as a treatment option for uncomplicated gonorrhea (as well as several other bacterial STIs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Joakim Oxelbark
- Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | | | | | - Francois Franceschi
- Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David Brown
- Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Arnold Louie
- Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Steven P. Gelone
- Nabriva Therapeutics US Inc., Fort Washington, PA, United States
| | - George Drusano
- Institute for Therapeutic Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
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37
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Day M, Pitt R, Mody N, Saunders J, Rai R, Nori A, Church H, Mensforth S, Corkin H, Jones J, Naicker P, Khan WM, Thomson Glover R, Mortimer K, Hylton C, Moss E, Pasvol TJ, Richardson A, Sun S, Woodford N, Mohammed H, Sinka K, Fifer H. Detection of 10 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the United Kingdom, December 2021 to June 2022. Euro Surveill 2022; 27:2200803. [PMID: 36398578 PMCID: PMC9673238 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2022.27.46.2200803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Between December 2021 and June 2022, 10 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (ST8123; n = 8) were detected in the United Kingdom, compared with nine cases during the previous 6 years. Most of these cases were associated with travel from the Asia-Pacific region; all were heterosexual people, with most in their 20s. Although all cases were successfully treated, not all partners of cases could be traced, and there is a risk of further transmission of ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal infection within the UK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Day
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Pitt
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nisha Mody
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Saunders
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rupa Rai
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Achyuta Nori
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Church
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Mensforth
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Corkin
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacqueline Jones
- Sexual Health Department Singleton Hospital, Swansea Bay University Health Board, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Preneshni Naicker
- Public Health Wales Microbiology Swansea, Singleton Hospital, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Wazirzada M Khan
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Thomson Glover
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kalani Mortimer
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chloe Hylton
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Moss
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Joshua Pasvol
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ania Richardson
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Suzy Sun
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Woodford
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hamish Mohammed
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katy Sinka
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Fifer
- National Incident Management Team, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
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38
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Complete Reference Genome Sequence of the Extensively Drug-Resistant Strain Neisseria gonorrhoeae AT159, with Ceftriaxone Resistance and High-Level Azithromycin Resistance, Using Nanopore Q20+ Chemistry and Illumina Sequencing. Microbiol Resour Announc 2022; 11:e0074422. [PMID: 36005764 PMCID: PMC9476915 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00744-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensively drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (XDR-NG) strains with resistance to the last remaining first-line treatments (ceftriaxone monotherapy or combined with azithromycin) represent the emerging threat of untreatable gonorrhea. We present the complete reference genome sequence of the XDR-NG strain AT159, with ceftriaxone and high-level azithromycin resistance, from Austria.
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