Auxotypes and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in black and white patients

Abstract

Isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from 100 white and 113 black patients attending a venereal disease clinic were examined for their susceptibility to ampicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, and spectinomycin. The isolates were also characterised by gonococcal auxotyping. Gonococcal isolates from black patients were more resistant to the antibiotics than those from white patients, since the former were infected with the more antibiotic-resistant auxotypes (Pro, Zero, and Arg) whereas the latter were infected with the more antibiotic-susceptible auxotypes (AHU and others). These data indicate a preferential infection by sub-populations of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in two racial groups.