Gonorrhea Laboratory Information

At a glance

  • Find resources to help with laboratory-based detection for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
An illustration of a microscope with the bacterium that causes gonorrhea shown large enough for the human eye to see.

Suspected gonorrhea treatment failure

  • Healthcare providers and health departments can report suspected treatment failure through the . This includes cephalosporin treatment failure or any N. gonorrhoeae specimen with decreased cephalosporin susceptibility.
  • For questions about reporting a suspected treatment failure or resistant case, please email: GCFAILURE@cdc.gov
  • Isolates may be submitted to the CDC STD Lab for confirmatory testing when gonorrhea infections fail to respond to CDC-recommended therapy or isolates exhibit intermediate resistance or resistance.

Did you know?

Through CDC's AR Lab Network, the Maryland and Washington State Public Health Labs offer nationwide gradient strip method antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST)—at no cost—to assist in care of patients with potentially drug-resistant gonorrhea infections. Learn more in the fact sheet.

Laboratory guidelines

Recommendations for the Laboratory-Based Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae — 2014

Lab Trainings Available

Visit the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) website to access for an introduction to STI diagnostics or a refresher for seasoned laboratorians. One of the short modules focuses on antimicrobial susceptibility testing and the Etest®.

Resources

United States

  • Report a problem with a product
  • Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) For details on technical standards and laboratory practice guidelines
  • Reference strain collection
  • Association of U.S. public health laboratories in all 50 states and six territories

International-multinational

WHO

  • (see )
  • Documents the emergence and spread of AMR in gonorrhea globally

Australia

Canada

United Kingdom

including the for bacteria

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Content Source:
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; About Division of STD Prevention