Gonorrhea pathogens with antibiotic resistance to dangerous levels

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains continue to increase
Gonorrhea is a relatively common, sexually transmitted disease. A new study has now determined that the disease may not be treatable with the usual drugs soon. The causative bacterium of the disease (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) has become to a large extent resistant to azithromycin and ceftriaxone. These medicines are commonly used to effectively treat gonorrhea.

In a recent study, US scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea, commonly known as gonorrhea, may soon be unavailable for antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains that cause the disease are on the increase worldwide. This could make the treatment of the widespread disease much more difficult in the future. The physicians published the results of their study in the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The spread of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea bacteria continues to increase. Physicians fear that the disease may not be treated with antibiotics in the future. (Image: Dr_Kateryna / fotolia.com)

Gonorrhea spreads through unprotected sexual intercourse
The so-called gonorrhea is a widespread sexually transmitted disease, which is triggered by the infection of the mucous membranes of the urinary and genital organs, explain the experts. The disease is also known as gonorrhea. Gonorrhea occurs only in humans. As the number of sexual partners increases, unprotected intercourse increases the likelihood of gonorrhea infection. It is also possible that infected pregnant women transmit the disease to their baby.

Dark figure in gonorrhea extremely high
In Germany alone there are about ten to 25 patients per 100,000 inhabitants. This number corresponds to around 10,000 to 20,000 diseases per year. In Saxony, the number of patients per 100,000 inhabitants increased from 6.8 in 2003 to 14.3 in 2010. The dark figure in the disease is also extremely high, warn the experts. The internationally recognized Robert Koch Institute estimated that the number of unreported cases in the 1990s was around 85 percent.

There is a need to act immediately
The observed spread of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea may be temporary, say the physicians. However, it is quite possible that this is the beginning of a much stronger sexually transmitted disease. But the increase in resistance highlights the need for immediate action, the researchers add. This is the only way to ensure that we can continue to effectively treat people with gonorrhea, says author Robert Kirkcaldy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Resistant bacterial strains need to be better monitored
The past has shown us that the resistance to common antibiotics in bacteria is generally increasing. The spread of dangerous gonorrhea strains is also progressing. That's why it's critical that we intensify the monitoring of resistant strains of bacteria and the identification of new treatments, scientists say.

Many bacterial strains are already resistant to a wide variety of antibiotics
For their study, the researchers had collected 5,093 isolates of gonorrhea. The physicians found that 2.5 percent of the isolated samples were now resistant to azithromocyn. 25 percent of the isolates in the study were resistant to tetracycline 19 percent were resistant to ciproflaxin and 16 percent were resistant to penicillin, the researchers add.

Treatments should be made with a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxonen
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend treating the disease with gonorrhea with a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxone. The experts at the CDC warn against the sole use of azithromycin, because it could promote the resistance to the drug. (As)