Super Gonorrhea are becoming drug resistant

Sexually transmitted infections resisting antibiotics

For a long time scientists researching on STIs have been aware that a more antibiotics-resistant gonorrhea would become a bug, and the 'Super-gonorrhea' proved them right. These infections in the list of STIs; Mycoplasma genitalium, HIV and Syphilis are fast resisting antimicrobial treatments. The 'worst-ever' case of super-gonorrhea the world has heard was announced by Public Health England recently.

This was the much anticipated day that shocked doctors in Britain. It was a condition discovered after an STD Test was conducted; a British man contracted super-gonorrhea after a sexual encounter with a woman in South East Asia. With 77 countries announcing gonorrhea resistance to at least one antibiotic, last year the World Health Organization reported the prevailing drug-resistant gonorrhea. This statement by the world health body aligns with that of infectious disease experts.

The World Health Organization's solution

Different drugs failed in the past before the WHO changed its guidelines on the treatment of gonorrhea and STD test in 2016. The health body suggested that doctors should use a combination of the antibiotics ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Sadly, doctors are so concerned worried in the case of the British man and lady because the combination therapy has failed.

Reacting swiftly with a response, Olwen Williams, a consultant in sexual health and president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) said; 'This is a significant development because it shows that the bacteria Neisseria gonorrheae has mutated a step further than we were anticipating. If these two drugs aren't working, we have to think what else we can use. One of the other antimicrobials we could use is Spectinomycin, but that is in very short supply.'

She noted that this had grave consequences. She also added the need for laboratory scientists to grow gonorrhea culture and determine the right drug for treatment. The consultant went on to explain as quoted. In some parts of the world they will test for gonorrhea but will treat it without knowing what the sensitivities are. If you treat it blind – without knowing what it's resistant so – you can drive an epidemic.'

Syphilis infection is on the rise

Currently, the dreaded syphilis infection is showing increasing resistance to drugs. Recently in 2016, nearly 6,000 cases of syphilis were reported; a 12 percent increase in the number for 2015. Since the year 1949, the number of syphilis cases has not reached almost 6,000. The number of gonorrhea cases over-doubled (15,000 to more than 41,000) between 2008 and 2015, as reported by Public Health England. Although in 2016, there was a slight decrease.

Spreading fast like a new bug

A sex health consultant from Bristol said that drug-resistant infections were becoming a challenge for sexually transmitted infection treatment. Peter Greenhouse opined that Mycoplasma genitalium which was more prevalent than Chlamydia in the 1980s as a little-known infection is in the list of STIs developing resistance to antibiotics. The association BASHH says the infection can become the next superbug within a decade, and will lead to women infertility.

They are fast spreading like superbugs as sexual infection experts are devising new measures to curtail the power of these infections.

Contributor: admin