MMWR: Neisseria Gonorrhoeae with Reduced Susceptibility to Azithromycin - San Diego County, California, 2009

This report summarizes laboratory and epidemiologic findings associated with reduced susceptibility to azithromycin. It notes that in August-October 2009, five of 55 N. gonorrhoeae isolates obtained from men with symptomatic urethritis tested at San Diego County’s main municipal STD clinic had high azithromycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC)s. Clinicians treating cephalosporin-allergic patients with a 2g.dose of azithromycin for uncomplicated gonorrhea are advised to obtain tests of cure three weeks after treatment and to recommend sexual abstinence until a negative test result is achieved. Continued surveillance for antibiotic resistance and effective control efforts are critical for gonorrhea prevention.