Increasing Resistance to Antibiotics in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Pakistan
Author Information
Author(s): Jabeen Kauser, Nizamuddin Summiya, Irfan Seema, Khan Erum, Malik Faisal, Zafar Afia
Primary Institution: Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Hypothesis
What are the trends of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Pakistan from 1992 to 2009?
Conclusion
The study found a significant increase in resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and ofloxacin in Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains in Pakistan.
Supporting Evidence
- Resistance rates to penicillin, tetracycline, and ofloxacin increased significantly from 1992 to 2009.
- No resistant strains to ceftriaxone were detected during the study period.
- 100% of the tested isolates were found susceptible to cefotaxime, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, cefipime, ceftazidime, ceftizoxime, cefixime, cefpodoxime, spectinomycin, and azithromycin.
Takeaway
Doctors should not use penicillin, ciprofloxacin, or tetracycline to treat gonorrhea in Pakistan because the bacteria are becoming resistant to these medicines.
Methodology
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using disk diffusion methodology according to CLSI criteria.
Potential Biases
Only a few laboratories in Pakistan perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing, which may affect the data's representativeness.
Limitations
The study's results may not be generalizable to the entire population of Pakistan due to sampling limitations.
Participant Demographics
82% of isolates were from males and 18% from females, with most samples taken from urethral, high vaginal, and cervical swabs.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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