Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Neisseria gonorrhoeae has become a multiresistant microorganism
Infections with gonococci are steadily increasing. They are often observed in combination with other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, HIV, Hepatitis B or Syphilis. Resistance rates to oral cephalosporines, quinolones and azithromycin are increasing continuously and ceftriaxone remains the only first line therapy. It should be used in higher doses in order to prevent the development of new resistances (see SSI guidelines). For surveillance purposes it is important to use culture techniques for diagnosis and not only rely on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Performing susceptibility testing only in case of therapeutic failure may lead to an over-estimation of resistance rates.