[MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DRUG RESISTANCE NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE HISTORY AND PROSPECTS]

Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus) is a strict human pathogen, which causes gonorrhea--an infectious disease, whose origin dates back to more than two thousand years. Due to the unique plasticity of the genetic material, these bacteria have acquired the capacity to adapt to the host immune system, cause repeated infections, as well as withstand antimicrobials. Since the introduction of antibiotics in 1930s, gonococcus has displayed its propensity to develop resistance to all clinically useful antibiotics. It is important to note that the known resistance determinants of N. gonorrhoeae were acquired through horizontal gene transfer, recombination and spontaneous mutagenesis, and may be located both in the chromosome and on the plasmid. After introduction of a new antimicrobial drug, gonococcus becomes resistant within two decades and replaces sensitive bacterial population. Currently Ceftriaxone is the last remaining antibiotic for first-line treatment of gonorrhea. However, the first gonococcus displaying high-level resistance to Ceftriaxone was isolated in Japan a few years ago. Therefore, in the near future, gonorrhea may become untreatable. In the present review, we discuss the chronology of the anti-gonorrhea drugs (antibiotics) replacement, the evolution of resistance mechanisms emergence and future perspectives of N. gonorrhoeae treatment.