The susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Singapore to antimicrobial agents--studies on changes in susceptibility patterns over the years.

The results of antibiotic MIC determination on gonococci isolated in Singapore over several years were studied. 53.6% of the strains isolated in 1981 had penicillin MIC values of 0.5 microgram/ml or more. The implementation of a control programme was followed by an increase in the susceptibility of the gonococcus to penicillin, ampicillin and tetracycline. An outbreak of PPNG occurred in 1978 while the control programme was on. In the initial period the PPNG was less susceptible to tetracycline, kanamycin and spectinomycin than the non-PPNG. Later on, as the PPNG was subjected to the same antibiotic selective pressures as the non-PPNG, the differences were less obvious. Following the use of kanamycin as a front-line drug, the percentage of PPNG isolated was stabilized.