Association between intensity of STI screening and development of antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae in 12 cities in the USA: An ecological study [version 4; referees: 2 approved]

Abstract

In this study, we assessed if there was a city-level association between sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening intensity in men who have sex with men and antimicrobial sensitivity in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the United States, 2007 to 2013. We found positive associations between STI screening intensity and increases in minimum inhibitory concentrations for certain antimicrobials. Not all positive associations were statistically significant and the associations found to be statistically significant varied between the different analyses. Further studies are therefore required to assess if there is a causal relationship between the intensity of STI screening in MSM and gonococcal resistance.