Neisseria gonorrhoeae non-susceptible to cephalosporins and quinolones in Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND The occurrence of antibiotic resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates is a serious public health problem in different corners of the globe. The objective of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of N. gonorrhoeae in Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS This was a retrospective study of N. gonorrhoeae isolated from genital swabs of patients referred to the Amhara Regional Health Research Laboratory between September 2006 and June 2012 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. A structured check list was used to collect socio-demographic and laboratory variables. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. RESULTS Out of 352 genital specimens processed, 29 clinical strains of N. gonorrhoeae were identified. The percentage of N. gonorrhoeae isolates non-susceptible to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and penicillin G was 27.8%, 40.9%, 92.6% and 94.4% respectively. Twenty percent of the isolates were found to be non-susceptible to both ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin. Non-susceptibility to an injectable cephalosporin and any two of quinolones, penicillins or tetracyclines was observed in 27.8% of the isolates. The percentage of N. gonorrhoeae which were non-susceptible to tetracycline or penicillin G was high throughout the study period. However, the percentage of fluoroquinolone or cephalosporine non-susceptible strains showed an increasing trend. CONCLUSIONS A high percentage of N. gonorrhoeae isolated from genital specimens in Northwest Ethiopia are non-susceptible to an injectable cephalosporin and any two of quinolones, penicillins or tetracyclines. Treatment of gonorrhea in the study area needs to be guided by antibiotic susceptibility testing of isolates.