Hand-held rapid whole genome nanopore sequencing to predict neisseria gonorrhoeae antibiotic susceptibility: steps towards clinic based tailored antimicrobial therapy

Next generation sequencing can accurately predict antibiotic susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) allowing preservation of first-line treatments in the face of widespread antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The rapid nature of novel hand-held nanopore sequencing (NPS) gives promise for utility at the point of care. We evaluated time to result post DNA extraction, and accuracy of MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) NPS to predict phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility (PAMS) of NG to ciprofloxacin and azithromycin.