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Volume 3, Number 1—March 1997
Synopsis

Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Joan S. Knapp*, Kimberley K. Fox*, David L. Trees*, and William L. Whittington†
Author affiliations: *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; †Center for AIDS and STD, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Main Article

Table

Criteria for interpreting susceptibilities of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains to the fluoroquinolones ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, enoxacin, lomefloxacin, and norfloxacina,b

Therapeutic agent,
Dose
 Agent Tested,
Disk Content
 Zone Inhibition Diametersc
nearest whole mm
 Equivalent MICc (mg/ml)
 Reference
(µg) R I S R I S
Ciprofloxacin, 250 mg Cip, 1 ≤24 ≥0.03 8
Ciprofloxacin, 500 mg Cip, 5 ≤29 30-35 ≥36 ≥1.0 0.13-0.5 ≤0.06 18
Cip, 5 ≤22 ≥1.0 6
Ofloxacin, 400 mg Ofx, 5 ≤24 25-30 ≥31 ≥2.0 0.5-1.0 ≤0.25 18
Ofx, 5 ≤24 ≥1.0 6
Enoxacin, 400 mg Enx, 10 ≤31 ≥32 ≥1.0 0.5 ≤0.25 18
Lomefloxacin, 400 mg Lom, 10 ≤26 27-35 ≥36 ≥2.0 0.25-1.0 ≤0.125 18
Norfloxacin, 800 mg Nor, 5 ≤32 33-35 ≥36 ≥1.0 0.5 ≤0.25 18

aThese criteria have not been recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS); they are provided to guide interpretation of susceptibilities until the NCCLS establishes criteria.
bAbbreviations: MIC, minimal inhibitory concentration (µg/ml); R, resistant; I, intermediate resistance; S, susceptible; Cip, ciprofloxacin; Ofx, ofoxacin; Enx, enoxacin; Lom, lomefloxacin; Nor, norfloxacin.
cWith the exception of norfloxacin, criteria for the susceptible categories are those designated by the NCCLS (16,17); criteria for the interpretation of the susceptible category for norfloxacin were proposed by CDC (18).

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