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BACKGROUND Sexually transmitted diseases began to re-emerge in China in the mid 1980s. During the last one and a half decades, Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection has become one of the three most common sexually transmitted diseases in China. At present, resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae are increasing each year. This study was undertaken to better understand the sensitivity of five antibiotics to N. gonorrhoeae isolates in Guangzhou, China. GOAL To determine the frequency and diversity of antibiotic resistance, particularly to penicillin and tetracycline, on gonococcal strains in Guangzhou. STUDY DESIGN Strains of N. gonorrhoeae isolates from 203 patients with uncomplicated urethral gonococcal infections from Guangzhou, China were reviewed from September 1997 to August 1998. All strains were characterized with five different antimicrobials for sensitivity, including penicillin, tetracycline, spectinomycin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftriaxone. RESULTS Penicillin resistance was present in 121 of 203 isolated strains (59.6%). The plasmid-mediated strains and chromosome-mediated strains among the penicillin-resistant strains that were resistance to penicillin were 5.8% and 94.2%, respectively. Plasmid-mediated strains resistant to penicillin and tetracycline were each 3.4%. Most isolated strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin, accounting for 60.6%. All strains were sensitive to spectinomycin and ceftriaxone. CONCLUSION N. gonorrhoeae isolates exhibited a high rate of resistance to penicillin and ciprofloxacin. Spectinomycin highly effective for penicillin-producing N. gonorrhoeae, tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae and the highly resistant strains of ciprofloxacin.