Super Gonorrhea May Be Spreading From Antibiotic Overuse For Covid-19 Coronavirus

For the first time ever known, super gonorrhea has infected humans in the United States. The finding of two gonorrhea cases that appear to have gained resistance to all known antibiotic classes that can be used to treat it was reported this week by Massachusetts public health officials. Thankfully, these instances were still treatable, but it's the latest indication that this typical STD is evolving into a more serious hazard.

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With 677,769 cases recorded in 2020, gonorrhea—which gets its name from the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae—is the second-most common STI in the United States. A discolored discharge from the genitals, painful or scorching urine, and rectal bleeding if contracted during anal sex are some of the early symptoms of infection. Untreated gonorrhea increases the chance of more severe side effects, including damage to the female reproductive system and enlarged testicles in males, both of which can result in infertility. Additionally, the virus, which is transferred from mother to kid, can be fatal or result in newborns going blind.

When gonorrhea first developed, it was straightforward to treat with a pill of penicillin or another antibiotic, but over time, the bacteria gradually learned to resist practically every medication used to treat it. Only one or two antibiotics administered simultaneously are currently thought to be consistently effective against gonorrhea and are advised as first-line therapies. However, in recent years, doctors have observed gonorrhea cases where it has begun to resist even these medications. At least two cases that are identical to these extensively hardy, or pan-resistant, infections have now been found in Massachusetts. These illnesses had previously been described in portions of Europe and Asia.

The state health department reported that the gonorrhea strain isolated from one case clearly displayed resistance to five classes of antibiotics or a reduced response to those antibiotics, whereas the strain isolated from the second case was genetically similar enough to likely have a similar level of resistance. A case published in Nevada earlier found a similar genetic signature observed in these cases, but that strain still reacted normally to at least one class of antibiotics. According to health officials, these are the first known cases of gonorrhea in the United States that have increased resistance to all drug classes used to treat it.

Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke stated in a statement from the agency that "the identification of this strain of gonorrhea is a severe public health risk that DPH, the CDC, and other health agencies have been vigilant about discovering in the US."

The United States stopped recommending azithromycin for the treatment of gonorrhea in late 2020 as a result of rising levels of antibiotic resistance. Only the injection of the medication ceftriaxone is now regarded as a frontline treatment option in the nation, and at a higher dosage than before. Fortunately, after the patients took these larger dosages of ceftriaxone, both instances were successfully cleared.

These incidents are probably only a premonition of things to come. Some of the crucial genetic markers found in this novel strain have also been found in pan-resistant cases from Europe and Asia, demonstrating the global spread of these changes. The prevalence of gonorrhea has been rising in the United States on an annual basis. The fact that there is no obvious link between the two Massachusetts cases is arguably the most concerning since it suggests that the strains may already be circulating past the point at which they may be effectively contained.

It could take years for any gonorrhea vaccines or new antibiotics to be developed, however there are ongoing attempts in this direction. Therefore, it's only become more crucial to take preventative measures to avoid getting these STIs in the first place and spreading them to others. Massachusetts doctors and testing facilities are currently being warned by health officials to watch out for and report any similar occurrences.

"We strongly advise all sexually active individuals to have frequent STD tests, think about limiting the number of partners they have sex with, and use more condoms when doing so. The clinical alert should be read by clinicians, and they should also help with our increased surveillance efforts, according to Cooke.