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Abstract

We report the timely detection of a strain of which was confirmed as a diagnostic escape mutant on the Cepheid Xpert CT/NG assay in England in June 2025. The reason for assay failure was a likely recombination event with , which removed both assay target sites. Seven historical putative Xpert CT/NG assay diagnostic escape mutants were also identified following subsequent in silico screening of gonococcal genome collections, but currently there is no evidence of widespread circulation.

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Addendum for Euro Surveill. 2025;30(36)
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/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.36.2500673
2025-09-11
2026-04-11
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.36.2500673
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Detection and characterisation of Xpert CT/NG assay Neisseria gonorrhoeae diagnostic escape mutants, England, June 2025
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Melissa+Jansen+van+Rensburg&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Jansen van Rensburg Melissa</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Rachel+Pitt-Kendall&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Pitt-Kendall Rachel</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Michelle+Hincke&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Hincke Michelle</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Penelope+R+Cliff&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Cliff Penelope R</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jonathan+Shaw&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Shaw Jonathan</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Katy+Sinka&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Sinka Katy</a>, <a href="/search?value1=John+Saunders&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Saunders John</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Helen+Fifer&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Fifer Helen</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Sarah+Alexander&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Alexander Sarah</a></span>. Detection and characterisation of Xpert CT/NG assay Neisseria gonorrhoeae diagnostic escape mutants, England, June 2025. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2025;30(36):pii=2500673. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.36.2500673" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.36.2500673</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 29 Aug 2025;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 11 Sept 2025 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.36.2500673
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.36.2500673
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