Abstract

Present study was aimed to determine antibiotic susceptibility and penicillinase production by Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated from gonorrheal patients in Zahedan (south-east Iran). In a descriptive study from 2007 to 2010, 400 suspected patients were studied by history review, medical examination, Gram staining and culture in Thayer-Martin medium. Antibiotic susceptibility test of isolated strains was done by disk diffusion method and penicillinase test in penicillin resistant isolates by aciodometric method. The culture of 77(19.2%) of gonorrheal patients were positive. The resistance rate against applied antibiotics was as follow: penicillin (79.2%), ciprofloxacin (53.2%), ceftriaxone (3.8%), spectinomycin (2.5%), cefixim (12.9%), co-trimoxazole (93.5%), tetracycline (88.3%) and gentamicin (29.8%). In the meantime, 83.1% of penicillin resistant isolates produced penicillinase enzyme. Ceftriaxone, spectinomycin and cefixime are the sole antibiotics that could be considered as selective drugs. Quinolones which were regarded as an effective group of antibiotics until recently, haven lost their efficacy. Resistance against other antibiotics is rapidly growing, thus, conducting experimental tests and determination of minimum inhibitory concentration and clinical trial studies at fixed intervals can contribute to diagnosis of resistance of gonococci and rapid and successful treatment of their infections.

Key words: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, gonorrhea, penicillinase (β-lactamase).