Male urethritis in Bahrain: the increasing incidence of resistant gonorrhea

ABSTRACT

Bahrain has a relatively low incidence of male urethritis; about one-half of these cases are due to N.gonorrhoeae. Despite the overall low frequency of sexually transmitted disease in Bahrain, N. gonorrhoeae isolates are often highly resistant. One-fourth of recent strains were resistant to penicillin, and 65% of the remaining isolates showed evidence of a chromosomally mediated diminished sensitivity to penicillin. Resistance to tetracycline is not yet common, but emerging chromosomal resistance and potentially poor compliance make tetracyclines inferior agents for gonorrhea therapy. We recommend ceftriaxone as primary therapy for N.gonorrhoeae in Bahrain; spectinomycin would be a reasonable second choice