Identification of TEM-135 β-Lactamase in Penicillinase-Producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains in Japan

Ten penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) strains isolated from 2000 to 2008 were characterized by multilocus sequence typing, multiantigen sequence typing, and plasmid typing. Sequence analysis showed that 8 strains contained a TEM-1 beta-lactamase gene. However, two other genetically distinct PPNG strains, isolated in 2004 and 2008, each contained a TEM-135 beta-lactamase on different plasmids, a Toronto/Rio type R plasmid and an Asia type R plasmid, suggesting independent origins of these PPNG strains.