Emergence of a ceftriaxone-resistant <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> strain harbouring <i>penA</i> -60.001 in a novel genetic background (MLST 9903) in Japan, 2018–2024

An <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strain carrying the <i>penA</i>-60.001 allele was identified in Japan again, after not being reported since 2017. Based on a phylogenetic analysis, the strain originated from a different lineage than that of the previously dominant MLST 1903 strain in Japan. Transformation studies showed that new CRO-resistant <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains could emerge from the gDNA of the MLST 9903 strain that was isolated.