Interpretive criteria and quality control limits for testing susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to enoxacin.

For testing the susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to enoxacin, a proposed susceptibility category includes strains for which MICs are less than or equal to 0.5 micrograms/ml and zones of inhibition are greater than or equal to 32 mm in diameter. Because of the sparcity of resistant gonococci, a resistance category was not defined, but laboratory-selected resistant mutants were appropriately categorized by the proposed criteria. A review of clinical data confirmed the utility of a single 400-mg oral dose of enoxacin for treating gonorrhea caused by strains judged to be susceptible by the proposed criteria. For quality control purposes, for N. gonorrhoeae ATCC 49226 MICs should be 0.016 to 0.06 micrograms/ml and zones of inhibition should be 43 to 51 mm in diameter.