ECDC public health response to the threat of resistant gonorrhoea in Europe.

Results from the European gonococcal antimicrobial surveillance programme (Euro-GASP) show that the percentage of isolates with decreased susceptibility to the recommended drug for treatment of gonorrhoea (cefixime) rose from 4% in 2009 to 9% in 2010. Decreased susceptibility was detected in 17 countries in 2010, seven more than in the previous year. At the same time, the susceptibility to the injectable drug ceftriaxone is decreasing as well [3]. The loss of both cefixime and ceftriaxone as treatment options for gonorrhoea would have a significant impact on public health: gonorrhoea is the second most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Europe [4] and its effective control relies entirely on antimicrobial treatment.