OFLOXACIN SUSCEPTIBILITIES OF 5,667 NEISSERIA-GONORRHOEAE STRAINS ISOLATED IN HONG-KONG

Of 5,667 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated from the Government Social Hygiene (sexually transmitted disease) Clinics in Hong Kong from 1990 to 1992, there was a trend toward an increase in the percentage of strains resistant in vitro to 0.01 and 0.1 mug of ofloxacin per ml, with 54.3 and 5.5% resistant strains, respectively, in January 1990, rising to 95.3 and 41.5%, respectively, in December 1992. The percentage of strains for which the MIC is > 1 mug/ml remains stable, and no clinical failure has yet been seen. This trend of decreasing susceptibility warrants close monitoring when ofloxacin is used as first-line treatment for gonorrhea.