Antimicrobial sensitivity of Neisseria gonorrhoea in Gondar, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Neisseria gonorrheae and to obtain epidemiological information on resistance of Neisseria gonorrheae in Gondar town.

DESIGN

A cross sectional study.

SETTING

Gondar Health Centre.

SUBJECTS

One hundred and seventy eight male patients presented with urethral discharge and who volunteered to participate in the study were included.

RESULTS

A total of 142 strains of N. gonorrhoeae were isolated from 168 cultures received. The sensitivity of gonococcal isolates ranges from 98.6% to chloramphenicol to 7.7% to cotrimoxazole. Multiple drug resistance was reported in 87.5% of isolates and only four isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics. One strain of N. gonorrheae was resistant to as many as eight antibiotics (tetracycline, penicillin, ampicillin, kanamicin, methicilin, carbenicillin, cotrimoxazole and ceftriaxone). More than eighty five per cent of the isolated strains were penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG).

CONCLUSION

Gonococcal resistance is a significant public health problem in Gondar region and the drugs recommended for treatment of gonococcal cases by the national sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) control programme need to be revised.