Sentinel surveillance for antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae--United States, 1988-1991. The Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project Study Group.

PROBLEM/CONDITION: The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the United States has been increasing since the mid-1970s.

DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM

The Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP) was established in 1986 to monitor trends of antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. GISP is a sentinel surveillance system consisting of 26 publicly funded sexually transmitted disease clinics and five regional laboratories. At each clinic, urethral isolates are obtained from the first 20 men diagnosed with gonorrhea each month; these isolates are shipped to one of the regional laboratories, where the susceptibilities of the organisms to a panel of antibiotics are determined.

REPORTING PERIOD COVERED

This report describes the results of surveillance for antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae from January 1991 through December 1991. These results are compared with data obtained from January 1988 through December 1990.

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION

In the 1991 GISP sample, 32.4% of isolates were resistant to penicillin or tetracycline. The proportions of isolates with high-level, plasmid-mediated resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, or both drugs have increased significantly (p < 0.001) in the GISP sample during 1988-1991. No documented clinical treatment failures have been related to decreased susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae to either ceftriaxone or ciprofloxacin, which belong to the classes of antibiotics currently recommended for gonococcal therapy. ACTION TAKEN: Because of the demonstrated ability of N. gonorrhoeae to develop resistance to antimicrobial agents, surveillance to guide therapy recommendations will be continued.