Whole-genome sequencing reveals transmission of gonococcal antibiotic resistance among men who have sex with men: An observational study

JC Kwong; EPF Chow; K Stevens; TP Stinear; T Seemann; CK Fairley; MY Chen; BP Howden

Journal article

Whole-genome sequencing reveals transmission of gonococcal antibiotic resistance among men who have sex with men: An observational study

JC Kwong, EPF Chow, K Stevens, TP Stinear, T Seemann, CK Fairley, MY Chen, BP Howden

Sexually Transmitted Infections | BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP | Published : 2018

DOI: 10.1136/sextrans-2017-053287

Download PDF

Abstract

Objectives: Drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae 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 N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence (NG-MAST). We therefore aimed to systematically investigate the transmission of N. gonorrhoeae between men in sexual partnerships using WGS to compare isolates and their r..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Jason Kwong Author

Eric Chow Author

Tim Stinear Author

Torsten Seemann Author

Related Projects (3)

ESTABLISHING THE USE OF BACTERIAL GENOMICS IN AUSTRALIA

We propose to establish a set of fully assembled reference genomes through new technologies and methods to analyse data from high throughput..

How bacteria evolve and cause disease

Bacteria have evolved different ways of causing disease in humans. Some bacteria produce toxins that attack the host or they have developed ..

IMPROVING PREVENTION, TRACKING AND TREATMENT OF MAJOR HUMAN BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

This research fellowship will lead to a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which bacteria become resistant to antibiotics and cause..

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Victorian Government, Australia, through the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory and the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. JCK (GNT1074824), EPFC (GNT1091226), TPS (GNT1008549) and BPH (GNT1105905) all received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. JCK is also supported by the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Emerging Infectious Diseases (GNT1102962).