ABSTRACT
Gonorrhea is sexually transmitted, with a high incidence worldwide. Occurrence of resistance and difficulties in treatment is often reported. Penicillin is not used anymore, and quinolones or cephalosporins are the remaining therapeutic options. However, there are resistance reports to these drugs as well. Objective: to evaluate the occurrence of resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin and ceftriaxone in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus). Methods: ninety-three endocervical and urethral secretion samples, suspected of gonorrhea, were cultured from September 2008 to May 2012. Samples were collected at the STD/Aids Reference Center and processed at Instituto Adolfo Lutz in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by the E-test (Oxoid). Beta-lactamase was determined by the cefinase disk method (BD BBL). The susceptibility study included a gonococcus isolated from a case of conjunctivitis. Results: gonococcus was isolated in 41.9% (35) of the cases in the study. Male patients were predominant in 92.3% of samples, with ages ranging from 14 to 62 years, and the conjunctivitis isolate was recuperated from a 1 month old patient. Isolates were resistant to penicillin (44.4%); tetracycline (55.5%); ofloxacin (36.1%) and ciprofloxacin (36.1%). All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, and 80.6% were susceptible to azithromycin. The beta-lactamase test was positive for 31.0% of isolates. Conclusion: in vitro results showed that tetracycline was less effective, and ceftriaxone the most effective antibiotic against gonococcus. The resistance to different drugs limits the options of gonococcus effective treatment.