G: The rise of super gonorrhea continues unabated

[China]

New Strain of Extensively Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea Appears in Austria

 

The rise of super gonorrhea continues unabated. Scientists in Europe say they’ve recently discovered a new strain of extensively drug-resistant gonorrhea—the second such strain to be found worldwide in recent years. The bacteria was detected in April in a man from Austria, who likely caught it while traveling in Cambodia.

 

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the namesake cause of gonorrhea, is an especially hardy bacteria. Over the decades, it’s learned how to beat nearly every single antibiotic ever thrown against it. And now we’re at the point where only two drugs are recommended to treat these common infections, depending on the region: ceftriaxone and azithromycin.

 

In 2018, doctors discovered three cases of gonorrhea in the UK and New Zealand caused by a strain that was resistant to both drugs at the same time. The cases were traced back to travel in Southeast Asia, and in at least one case, the infection failed to be cleared by available treatments.

 

Since then, countries have continued to routinely report strains resistant to azithromycin. And some countries, including the U.S., have recommended that azithromycin no longer be used as a frontline treatment at all. But many doctors may continue to treat patients with the combination therapy, and there have been signs of increasing ceftriaxone resistance as well. In a case report published last month in the journal Eurosurveillance, doctors appear to have found the first gonorrhea strain since 2018 to feature resistance to both drugs.

 

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