Annual report of the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme, 2004

The Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme monitors the antibiotic susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in all states and territories. In 2004, the in vitro susceptibility of 3,640 isolates of gonococci from public and private sector sources was determined by standardised methods. Different antibiotic susceptibility patterns were again seen in the various jurisdictions and regions. Resistance to the penicillins nationally was 22 per cent and, with the exception of the Northern Territory, ranged between 12 and 30 per cent. Resistance to quinolones was found in all jurisdictions in a larger proportion of strains and with higher MICs. Nationally, 23 per cent of all isolates were ciprofloxacin-resistant, and most of this resistance was at high MIC levels. All isolates remained sensitive to spectinomycin. A small number of isolates showed some decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone (MIC 0.06 mg/L or more) and were again concentrated in New South Wales. A high proportion of gonococci examined in larger urban centres were from male patients and rectal and pharyngeal isolates were common. In other centres and in rural Australia the male to female ratio of cases was lower, and most isolates were from the genital tract.