Sanchez-Buso, L.; Sanchez-Serrano, A.; Golparian, D.; Unemo, M.

Extensive gonococcal surveillance has been performed using molecular typing at global, regional, national and local levels. The three main genotyping schemes for this pathogen, Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST), Neisseria gonorrhoeae Multi-Antigen Sequence Typing (NG-MAST) and N. gonorrhoeae Sequence Typing for Antimicrobial Resistance (NG-STAR), allow inter-laboratory and inter-study comparability and reproducibility and provide an approximation to the gonococcal population structure. With high-throughput whole-genome sequencing (WGS), we obtain a substantially higher and more accurate discrimination between strains, i.e., compared to previous molecular typing schemes where isolates with the same sequence type often have a different genomic background. However, WGS remains unavailable or not affordable in many laboratories, accordingly, bioinformatic tools that allow the integration of data among laboratories with and without access to WGS is imperative for a joint effort to increase our understanding of global pathogen threats.