Surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the WHO Western Pacific Region, 2000.

A long-term program of surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Region (WHO WPR GASP) continued in 2000. About 11,000 gonococci were examined in 15 focal points. Widespread resistance to the penicillin group of antibiotics was confirmed. Resistance to quinolone antibiotics, already widely dispersed, increased further with a shift to higher levels of resistance in many centres. Gonococci with decreased susceptibility to third generation cephalosporins were observed in 5 centres. Spectinomycin resistance was infrequently encountered. Options for cheap and effective treatment of gonorrhoea in the WPR are increasingly limited.