{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T06:21:23Z","timestamp":1792736483072,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000925","name":"National Health and Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000925","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004752","name":"State Government of Victoria","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004752","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sex Transm Infect"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>Drug-resistant <jats:italic>Neisseria gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic> are now a global public health threat. Direct transmission of antibiotic-resistant gonococci between individuals has been proposed as a driver for the increased transmission of resistance, but direct evidence of such transmission is limited. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has superior resolution to investigate outbreaks and disease transmission compared with traditional molecular typing methods such as multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and <jats:italic>N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic> multiantigen sequence (NG-MAST). We therefore aimed to systematically investigate the transmission of <jats:italic>N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic> between men in sexual partnerships using WGS to compare isolates and their resistance to antibiotics at a genome level.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>458 couples from a large prospective cohort of men who have sex with men (MSM) tested for gonorrhoea together between 2005 and 2014 were included, and WGS was conducted on all isolates from couples where both men were culture-positive for <jats:italic>N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic>. Resistance-determining sequences were identified from genome assemblies, and comparison of isolates between and within individuals was performed by pairwise single nucleotide polymorphism and pangenome comparisons, and in silico predictions of NG-MAST and MLST.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>For 33 of 34 (97%; 95%\u2009CI 85% to 100%) couples where both partners were positive for gonorrhoea, the resistance-determining genes and mutations were identical in isolates from each partner (94 isolates in total). Resistance determinants in isolates from 23 of 23 (100%; 95%\u2009CI 86% to 100%) men with multisite infections were also identical within an individual. These partner and within-host isolates were indistinguishable by NG-MAST, MLST and whole genomic comparisons.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>These data support the transmission of antibiotic-resistant strains between sexual partners as a key driver of resistance rates in gonorrhoea among MSM. This improved understanding of the transmission dynamics of <jats:italic>N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic> between sexual partners will inform treatment and prevention guidelines.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053287","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,12,15]],"date-time":"2017-12-15T17:16:55Z","timestamp":1513358215000},"page":"151-157","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":51,"title":["Whole-genome sequencing reveals transmission of gonococcal antibiotic resistance among men who have sex with men: an observational study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"94","author":[{"given":"Jason C","family":"Kwong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1766-0657","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eric P F","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kerrie","family":"Stevens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Timothy P","family":"Stinear","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Torsten","family":"Seemann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher K","family":"Fairley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcus Y","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benjamin P","family":"Howden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,12,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00010-14"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2013-051020"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/383047"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1741-7007-5-35"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.02589-14","article-title":"Whole-genome phylogenomic heterogeneity of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with decreased cephalosporin susceptibility collected in Canada between 1989 and 2013","volume":"53","author":"Demczuk","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.03195-15"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ezewudo MN , Joseph SJ , Castillo-Ramirez S , et al . Population structure of Neisseria gonorrhoeae based on whole genome data and its relationship with antibiotic resistance. PeerJ 2015;3:e806.doi:10.7717\/peerj.806","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.806"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(13)70693-5"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/428052"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dkw279"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dku490"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.12","unstructured":"Tapsall J . Members of the National Neisseria Network of Australia. Antimicrobial testing and applications in the Pathogenic Neisseria. In: Merlino J , ed. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: methods and practices with an Australian perspective. Sydney: Australian Society for Microbiology, 2004:173\u201386."},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"578","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jinf.2016.08.010","article-title":"Genomic analyses of Neisseria gonorrhoeae reveal an association of the gonococcal genetic island with antimicrobial resistance","volume":"73","author":"Harrison","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Infect"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/00221287-139-11-2603"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/jiw420"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.01502-14"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1295","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(16)30157-8","article-title":"Whole-genome sequencing to determine transmission of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: an observational study","volume":"16","author":"De Silva","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.00525-16"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/OLQ.0000000000000232"},{"key":"2020050723325075000_94.2.151.20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.02311-05"}],"container-title":["Sexually Transmitted Infections"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053287","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,26]],"date-time":"2020-09-26T10:19:50Z","timestamp":1601115590000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/sti.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053287"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,12,15]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,20]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053287"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/sextrans-2017-053287","relation":{},"ISSN":["1368-4973","1472-3263"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1368-4973","type":"print"},{"value":"1472-3263","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,12,15]]}}}