Evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility profile, resistance mechanisms and genotypic characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in São Paulo - Brazil

• Grant number: 16/01889-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2016
• End date: January 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Carlos Campos Pignatari
• Grantee: Antonio Carlos Campos Pignatari
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ana Cristina Gales

Abstract

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This microorganism can infect the urogenital and/or oropharynx mucosa through sexual transmission, causing asymptomatic symptomatic and or symptomatic infections. Untreated gonococcal infection may lead chronic infection, and consequently to ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance among N. gonorrhoeae isolates is a cause of major concern because may jeopardize the disease control. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profile, detect resistance encoding genes, and study the genetic relationship among 150 clinical isolates of N. gonorrheae isolated from outpatients assisted at the Centro de Referência e Treinamento DST/AIDS-CRT Santa Cruz, São Paulo - SP. The N. gonorrhoeae isolates were previously stored at -70°C in the bank of microorganisms of the CRT-Santa Cruz. The microorganisms were subcultured onto chocolate agar (BioMerieux, Marcy I'Etoile, France), referred and stored at -70ºC in the bank of microorganisms of the Laboratório Especial de Microbiologia Clínica/Alerta, at Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina/Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM/UNIFESP). Clinical isolates of N. gonorrhoeae will have their identification at the species level confirmed by MALDI-TOF technique. The determination of the susceptible profile will be performed by agar-dilution according to the CLSI guidelines. Isolates showing reduced susceptible to fluoroquinolones and ceftriaxone will be selected for detection of resistance encoding genes by PCR followed by DNA sequencing. The genetic similarity will be analyzed. In this matter, we intend to recognize which antimicrobials could constitute good therapeutic options for treatment of gonorrhea, understand the resistance mechanisms and determine how the spread of resistance has occurred among the isolated gonococcus. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MARTINS, RAFAEL AFFINI; CASSU-CORSI, DANDARA; NODARI, CAROLINA SILVA; CAYO, RODRIGO; NATSUMEDA, LARISSA; STRELING, ANA PAULA; DOI, ANDRE MARIO; CARVALHO DA SILVA, ROBERTO JOSE; LIMA BOCALON, ROBERTA ALESSANDRA; GALES, ANA CRISTINA; et al. Temporal evolution of antimicrobial resistance among Neisseria gonorrhoeae clinical isolates in the most populated South American Metropolitan Region. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, v. 114, 2019. (16/01889-0)

CASSU-CORSI, DANDARA; SANTOS, FERNANDA F.; CAYO, RODRIGO; MARTINS, WILLAMES M. B. S.; NODARI, CAROLINA S.; ALMEIDA, LUIZ G. P.; MARTINS, RAFAEL A.; CARVALHO DA SILVA, ROBERTO J.; VASCONCELOS, ANA TEREZA R.; PIGNATARI, ANTONIO C. C.; et al. Genomic analyses of ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates recovered from the largest South American metropolitan area. Genomics, v. 114, n. 4, p. 6-pg., 2022-07-01. (16/01889-0)