Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Western Australia and identification of filamentous bacterioehages in Neisseria species

Abstract

In Western Australia notification rates of gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is much higher in remote health jurisdictions than in rural and urban settings. Conversely the frequency of antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) is highest in strains obtained from rural and urban settings. To understand the basis for this observation, we analysed two sets of isolates from both remote and urban/rural regions of Western Australia. A phylogenetic comparison revealed that strains circulating in the remote regions were distinct from genetic lineages in the urban/rural regions. These findings will help to form the future of gonococcal surveillance, treatment, and control.