Spectinomycin Disk Zone Diameter as a Predictor of Outcome in Clinical Treatment of Gonorrhea

摘要

The increasing number of spectinomycin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in various areas of the world threatens the continued use of spectinomycin as an alternative treatment for gonococcal infection. While these strains are still rare in the United States, there is recent evidence suggesting some importation. A simple and reliable method for monitoring the prevalence and spread of these strains and for directing appropriate antibiotic treatment is needed. The agar dilution method is the current technique for determining spectinomycin MICs for the infecting organism. While accurate and reliable, this method is costly, labor intensive, and beyond the capability of many of the laboratories in which spectinomycin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae strains are of concern. By comparison, the disk diffusion method is inexpensive, easier, and within the capability of most laboratories. It offers a rapid, more efficient means of conducting surveillance for spectinomycin treatment failures. The disk diffusion method would clearly be preferable, providing that the results by this technique correlate with those of the agar diffusion method and clinical outcome.