Distribution of the 3.05-Mdal "Toronto" B-lactamase plasmid among penicillinase-producing isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the Far East

Article Abstract:

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that causes inflammation of the genital mucous membranes. It can affect other areas of the body as well, including the oral mucosa, conjunctiva, heart and rectum. Penicillin therapy is usually the treatment of choice for gonorrhea, but in many countries penicillin-resistant strains of the bacteria exist because of plasmids in the gonorrheal cells that destroy penicillin. (Plasmids are substances in bacterial cells, but outside the nucleus, that have a genetic function.) One such plasmid is the 3.05-Mdal ''Toronto'' plasmid; it was first isolated after an outbreak of penicillin-resistant gonorrhea in Canada in 1984. Reports of penicillin-resistant gonorrhea in the Far East containing the 3.05-Mdal plasmid prompted investigation of the geographic distribution of gonorrheal strains containing this plasmid. Gonorrhea samples were taken from Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and plasmid profiles were determined in the laboratory. When the plasmids in the 150 samples were identified, it was found that 87 percent contained the 4.4-Mdal plasmid. While only 55 of the samples (5 percent) contained 3.05-Mdal plasmid, this was considered to be a significant presence. The 55 samples were from Japan (4 percent of the cases), Taiwan (29 percent), and the Philippines (5 percent). These findings demonstrate that the Toronto plasmid is widespread in gonorrheal cells in the Far East, causing disease that is resistant to treatment with penicillin. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Physiological aspects, Plasmids, Beta lactamases

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Plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Kingston, Jamaica: 1990-1991

Article Abstract:

Many cases of gonorrhea in Jamaicans appear to be caused by strains of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) bacterium that are resistant to penicillin, tetracycline, or both antibiotics. Between October 1990 and March 1991, researchers isolated and analyzed 116 strains of the N. gonorrhoeae bacterium from 246 heterosexual Jamaican men. Approximately 80% of the strains exhibited plasmid-mediated resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, or both drugs and 5.2% exhibited chromosomally-mediated resistance to penicillin and/or tetracycline. These drug-resistant strains were identified throughout the six-month investigation and were present in many areas of Kingston, Jamaica. Only 27.2% of the men with penicillin and/or tetracycline-resistant strains received highly effective antibiotics while 53.3% received antibacterials that are unlikely to kill the drug-resistant microorganisms.

Research, Kingston, Jamaica (City)

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Molecular epidemiology, in 1994, of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Manila and Cebu City, Republic of the Philippines

Article Abstract:

Gonorrhea infections in the Philippines may be resistant to fluoroquinolones and need to be treated with antimicrobial drugs that can treat all gonorrhea strains. Researchers obtained Neisseria gonorrhoeae specimens from 92 female sex workers in Manila and Cebu City, Republic of the Philippines. Most N. gonorrhoeae strains (85.9%) were resistant to treatment with penicillin, tetracycline, or fluoroquinolones. Indiscriminant use of over-the-counter antibiotics may be responsible for development of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea. Periodic gonorrhea surveillance testing will continue to be important in identifying effective and ineffective treatments.

Analysis, Philippines

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