Purpose: This study aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ertapenem on Neisseria gonorrhoeae  collected from eight Chinese provinces in 2018.
Methods: The MICs of ertapenem on 503 Neisseria gonorrhoeae  isolates (415 isolates selected randomly and 88 isolates selected with preference) were measured using the agar dilution method. For comparison, the MICs of ceftriaxone and azithromycin were detected.
Results: Among 415 randomly selected isolates, the MIC range for ertapenem was from ≤ 0.008 mg/L to 0.5 mg/L. The corresponding MIC₅₀ and MIC₉₀ were 0.06 and 0.125 mg/L, respectively. Twelve of 415 isolates (2.9%) exhibited MIC values ≥ 0.25 mg/L, and only one isolate (0.2%) had a MIC of 0.5 mg/L. By comparing all 503 tested isolates, a correlation of r = 0.487 (P < 0.001) between ertapenem and ceftriaxone MIC was observed, and the correlation between MICs of ertapenem and azithromycin was low (r = − 0.12, P = 0.007). In 24 ceftriaxone-decreased susceptibility isolates, four isolates (16.7%) showed a MIC ≥ 0.25 mg/L for ertapenem. In 85 azithromycin resistant isolates, three isolates (3.5%) showed a MIC ≥ 0.25 mg/L for ertapenem.
Conclusion: The in vitro results suggest that ertapenem has satisfactory susceptibility in isolates collected from eight provinces in China; hence, it might be a promising treatment option for resistant gonococcal infections.
Keywords: Neisseria gonorrhoeae , treatment, ertapenem, antimicrobial resistance