No abstract

a total of 146 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates collected from 139 male patients in Taipei, Taiwan, were analyzed by N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) and antibiotic susceptibility testing. The resistance rates of all isolates to ciprofloxacin, cefpodoxime, and cefixime were 76.7 (112/146), 21.2 (31/146), and 16.4% (24/146), respectively. NG-MAST identified 71 sequence types (STs), of which 21 STs contained 2 to 21 isolates. The isolates that belonged to the three major ST clusters typically were from patients who had specific epidemiological characteristics (such as sexual orientation and human immunodeficiency virus status). The major ST clones exhibited distinct resistance profiles and are associated with specific groups at high risk of human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis infections.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection is the second major cause of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. Development of resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobials in N. gonorrhoeae has compromised treatment and disease control. Herein, we report the availability of the draft genome sequence of a multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae isolate, TCDC-NG08107, which spread in groups of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Taiwan.

Among 254 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in northern Taiwan, 69 isolates were found to contain the mosaic penA (MA) gene and were associated with elevated cefixime and ceftriaxone MICs. Most of these MA gene-harboring isolates were also resistant to penicillin (71.4%) and ciprofloxacin (100%) and were from men who have sex with men (MSM) or from bisexual men (81.2%). Three major sequence types (ST835, ST2180, and ST2253) constituted 55.7% of these isolates. The major sequence types harboring the mosaic penA gene may represent major sexual networks responsible for the emergence/introduction and the spread of the multidrug-resistant clones in Taiwan.

The identification of Chlamydia trachomatis genotypes is important for both the study of molecular epidemiology and infection control. We have developed a microsphere suspension array assay that can identify C. trachomatis genotypes rapidly and accurately and also discriminate among multiple genotypes in one clinical specimen.