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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the existence of drug-resistant gonorrhea yesterday sparking concern among doctors that there are very few antibiotics that can now treat this common sexually transmitted disease.
The CDC asked doctors to stop using antibiotics included in the fluoroquinolones family to treat gonorrhea. This class of drugs includes antibiotics like ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin. Instead the agency is recommending a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins as the first line of treatment for gonorrhea. CDC officials said instances of drug-resistant gonorrhea jumped drastically from 0.6 percent in 2001 to 6.7 percent last year.
In its new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC said incidence of drug-resistant gonorrhea has spiraled among heterosexuals and men who have sex with men. CDC said gonorrhea had thus far shown no signs of developing resistance to cephalosporins. However it stressed effective monitoring was needed to monitor for signs of drug resistance.
Below are some questions and answers on gonorrhea and its prevalence in the United States
What is gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is the second most common bacterial STI in the United States after chlamydia.
How many people are infected by gonorrhea?
The CDC estimates that 700,000 Americans develop gonorrhea annually. The highest reported rates of infection are typically among sexually active teenagers and young adults.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea typically affects genital tract, mouth, and rectum in both genders. However cervix is also affected in women. The infection causes a purulent discharge, but is typically symptomless initially. Later on it manifests as pain and burning on urination and bleeding during vaginal intercourse in women.
In men swollen or painful testicles are a common finding. The burning sensation during urination is more intense and white, yellow, or green pus is discharged from the penis as well.
How long does it take for symptoms to appear?
After initial infection, symptoms appear within a week, but sometimes manifest after one month as well.
What are the complications of gonorrhea?
In women, untreated gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) if the infection spreads o uterus and fallopian tubes. PID is a serious complication causing ectopic pregnancy and infertility in 10 percent of affected women.
In men prostate complications and inflammation of the testicles or epididymitis are common issues.
Additionally gonorrhea also increases the risk of getting HIV infection in both men and women. Rare complications include the spread of the infection to bones or joints, which are serious conditions.
Can gonorrhea be passed from mother to child?
Yes, gonorrhea is passed onto newborn babies if the mother is infected. Doctors usually apply silver nitrate or other medicine to the baby's eyes to prevent infection soon after birth.
How is gonorrhea treated?
Gonorrhea is a curable infection and responds to a variety of antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin and Levofloxacin. However these antibiotics are increasing proving worthless prompting doctors to shift to cephalosporin class which includes Cefixime and Ceftriaxone.
What drug is being recommended by the CDC?
In order to combat drug resistance, the agency is recommending a drug called ceftriaxone, sold by Roche Pharmaceuticals as Rocephin. This injectible drug is useful in treating genital, anal and throat gonorrhea.
How can gonorrhea be prevented?
Sexual abstinence is the best way to prevent gonorrhea. Using condoms properly also goes a long way in preventing the infection.
What other information was released by the CDC?
Dr. John Douglas, director of the CDC's Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Prevention said that the fact was there are currently no new drugs for gonorrhea in the drug development pipeline.
"While we have not seen any significant resistance to cephalosporins to date, any emerging resistance would be a significant public health concern. Clearly, there is an urgent need for new, effective medicines to treat gonorrhea as we are running out of options to treat this serious disease," he added.
Gonorrhea though common is a perfectly treatable STI. Prompt treatment will completely cure the infection and prevent complications as well. However the lack of enough drugs in the arsenal is a worrying factor. The CDC also said new drugs must bee looked at on an urgent basis to combat the infection.
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