Remarkable Increase in Central Japan in 2001-2002 of <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> Isolates with Decreased Susceptibility to Penicillin, Tetracycline, Oral Cephalosporins, and Fluoroquinolones

Four hundred sixty-two clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae recovered from 1999 through 2002 in central Japan were examined for MICs of antimicrobial agents. The majority was sensitive to ceftriaxone and spectinomycin, but a remarkable increase in isolates with decreased susceptibility to penicillin, tetracycline, oral cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones was observed from 2001 through 2002.