Prevalence, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns and Associated Factors of Neisseria gonorrhoeae among Women Attending Health Institutions in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea and accounts for the majority of sexually transmitted infections globally. There are few studies on the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of N. gonorrhoeae in Ethiopia. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and associated factors of N. gonorrhoeae. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among women attending Debre Markos town health institutions; in Northwest Ethiopia from June 1, 2022 to October 30, 2022. An endocervical swab was collected and cultured on Modified Thayer Martin medium. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique for isolates, following Clinical and laboratory standards institute guidelines. Logistic regression was applied to show the relationship between dependent and independent variables. P-value < 0.05 with 95%CI was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 384 women were recruited and tested for N. gonorrhoeae in this study. The prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae was found to be 29 out of 384 (7.60%). Rural residency (AOR: 2.95; 95%CI: 1.11-7.75), multiple sexual partners (AOR: 2.68; 95%CI: 1.17- 6.11), and HIV sero-positivity (AOR: 3.40; 95%CI: 1.4-8.26) were significantly associated with N. gonorrhoeae infection. The antimicrobial susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae was 93.10% to ceftriaxone, 55.2% to ciprofloxacin, and 0% to tetracycline and penicillin. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected in 19 out of 29 (65.40%) of N. gonorrhoeae isolates. Conclusion: The prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae and multi-drug resistance is higher in the study area. N. gonorrhoeae is significantly associated with patients living in rural areas, having multiple sexual partners, and being HIV positive. The high prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae infection highlights the need for regular screening and treatment of women of reproductive age and their partners. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2025; 39(1)] Keywords: Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, prevalence