{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:35:20Z","timestamp":1760150120305,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,16]],"date-time":"2023-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1697414400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Panama\u2019s Secretar\u00eda Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnolog\u00eda e Innovaci\u00f3n (SENACYT)","award":["FID18-033"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FID18-033"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>We aim to analyze Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in central Panama, characterize the associated gonococcal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and conduct molecular epidemiology and genetic typing. We conducted a retrospective study based on N.\u00a0gonorrhoeae hospital isolates collected between 2013 and 2018. AMR was determined using dilution agar and Etest\u00ae. Molecular typing was conducted using the Multilocus Sequence Typing (ST) scheme. The isolates analyzed (n = 30) showed resistance to penicillin (38%), tetracycline (40%), and ciprofloxacin (30%), and sensitivity to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and azithromycin. We identified 11 STs, the most frequent of which was ST1901 among the strains with decreased sensitivity and resistance to three types of antibiotics. We identified eight variations for the penA gene, all non-mosaic, with type II LVG as the most frequent (50%). To the best of our knowledge, we conducted the first Central American genomic study that analyzes a collection of gonococcal isolates, which represents a benchmark for future epidemiological and molecular genetic studies. The high prevalence of ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and penicillin resistance, in addition to the identification of the worldwide spread of multidrug-resistant clone ST1901, should prompt the continuous and reinforced surveillance of AMR, including the molecular epidemiology of N.\u00a0gonorrhoeae in Panama.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms11102572","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,16]],"date-time":"2023-10-16T01:31:22Z","timestamp":1697419882000},"page":"2572","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The Molecular Genetic Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains Obtained from Clinical Isolates in Central Panama"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Virginia","family":"N\u00fa\u00f1ez-Samudio","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ciencias M\u00e9dicas, Las Tablas 0710, Los Santos, Panama"},{"name":"Secci\u00f3n de Epidemiolog\u00eda, Departamento de Salud P\u00fablica, Regi\u00f3n de Salud de Herrera, Ministry of Health, Chitr\u00e9 0601, Herrera, Panama"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mellissa","family":"Herrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio Cl\u00ednico, Hospital Luis \u201cChicho\u201d F\u00e1brega, Regi\u00f3n de Salud Veraguas, Ministry of Health, Santiago 0923, Veraguas, Panama"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Genarino","family":"Herrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio Cl\u00ednico, Hospital Luis \u201cChicho\u201d F\u00e1brega, Regi\u00f3n de Salud Veraguas, Ministry of Health, Santiago 0923, Veraguas, Panama"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5896-3171","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gumercindo","family":"Pimentel-Peralta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ciencias M\u00e9dicas, Las Tablas 0710, Los Santos, Panama"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6323-1170","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iv\u00e1n","family":"Landires","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ciencias M\u00e9dicas, Las Tablas 0710, Los Santos, Panama"},{"name":"Hospital Regional Dr. Joaqu\u00edn Pablo Franco Sayas, Regi\u00f3n de Salud de Los Santos, Ministry of Health, Las Tablas 0710, Los Santos, Panama"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"226","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro.2017.169","article-title":"Neisseria gonorrhoeae host adaptation and pathogenesis","volume":"16","author":"Quillin","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat. 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