Surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region, 2003.

The World Health Organization Western Pacific Region Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme examined over 11,000 isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from 13 countries for resistance to antibiotics in 2003. Very high rates of resistance to penicillins and quinolones were again present in most centres, but little resistance to spectinomycin was detected. Several centres once more reported the presence of gonococci with decreased susceptibility to third generation cephalosporins. Treatment options for gonococcal disease acquired in the Region are increasingly limited.