Fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae:: the inevitable epidemic

The worldwide incidence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has increased dramatically in the last few years. Single doses of fluoroquinolones can no longer be used to treat N gonorrhoeae infections acquired in the Far East, parts of the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Western Europe and the United States. Although California and Hawaii account for most of the current United States cases, the increased incidence of fluoroquinolone resistance in some high-risk groups independent of geography heralds an imminent spread of drug-resistant strains throughout the rest of the population.