Sexually Transmitted Disease: The Next Superbug?
Reported April 01, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A sexually transmitted infection may be on its way to becoming untreatable after showing growing resistance to multiple antibiotic drugs.
Researchers at the Health Protection Agency in London say some strains of the bacteria that cause gonorrhea are showing decreased sensitivity to the current antibiotic treatments ceftriaxone and cefixime.
“There are signs that resistance particularly to cefixime is emerging and soon these drugs may not be a good choice,” Professor Catherine Ison, of London’s Health Protection Agency, was quoted as saying.
“Choosing an effective antibiotic can be a challenge because the organism that causes gonorrhea is very versatile and develops resistance to antibiotics very quickly,” Ison said.
Gonorrhea is one of the most common bacterial STIs and can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women. The current treatment consists of a single dose of antibiotic given in the clinic when prescribed.
Professor Ison says there are only a few new drugs available in the treatment of gonorrhea and that the single dose treatment may be revised. Ison said she believes if this problem is not addressed, the infection will become very difficult to treat.
SOURCE: Society for General Microbiology’s spring meeting, March 29, 2010; Edinburgh, U.K.