We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse this site you agree to our use of cookies. More info.
Given that there is no vaccine available against gonorrhea, diagnosing this sexually transmitted infection early, treating it effectively and notifying sexual partners are cornerstones of controlling disease spread. However, Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to all classes of antimicrobials since the beginning of treatment with them in the 1930s.
As first-line treatment approach, current guidelines recommend either monotherapy with ceftriaxone or a combination of it with azithromycin but resistance or decreased susceptibility to both has been reported worldwide in recent years.
In their rapid communication, Pleininger et al. describe the case of an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain recently identified that shows high-level resistance to azithromycin and resistance to ceftriaxone, cefixime, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline.
The strain was detected after a heterosexual male patient in Austria presented with symptoms in April 2022 following condomless sex with a female sex worker in Cambodia. The authors note a possible gonorrhea treatment failure with ceftriaxone and azithromycin as no post-treatment gonococcal isolates were available. Following the initial treatment course, the test of cure was negative, but a polymerase chain reaction test from the urethral swab culture sample was positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
According to Pleininger at al., the molecular investigation of the isolate establishes the detected strain in Austria as the second global gonococcal strain with ceftriaxone resistance combined with high-level azithromycin resistance and relatively close relationship with the "WHO Q" reference strain. The "WHO Q" strain has been associated with three cases of gonorrhea notified in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2018 with reported links to South East Asia.
Multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains are a global public health concern given the limited remaining treatment options. Establishment of strains as described by Pleininger et al. with sustained transmission might make many gonorrhea cases untreatable.
To address this, the authors conclude that "enhanced antimicrobial resistance surveillance (ideally including test of cure and whole-genome sequencing), nationally and internationally, particularly in Asia where many ceftriaxone-resistant strains appear to have emerged, is of highest importance. Ultimately, novel antimicrobials for effective treatment of gonorrhea and/or a sufficiently effective gonococcal vaccine will be crucial".
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Pleininger, S., et al. (2022) Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Neisseria gonorrhoeae causing possible gonorrhoea treatment failure with ceftriaxone plus azithromycin in Austria, April 2022. Eurosurveillance. doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.24.2200455.
Posted in: Disease/Infection News
Tags: Antibiotic, Antimicrobial Resistance, Azithromycin, Bacteria, Cefotaxime, Cervicitis, Chlamydia, Ciprofloxacin, Fever, Genome, HIV, Phylogeny, Polymerase, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Public Health, Reproductive Health, Research, Skin, Tetracycline, Throat, Vaccine, Vaginal, Vaginal Discharge
News-Medical speaks to Henry Fingerhut, Senior Policy Analyst for Science & Innovation at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, about genomic surveillance and its associated opportunities and challenges.
Dr. Chenqu Suo and Dr. Cecilia Domínguez Conde
In this interview, News-Medical speaks to two researchers each discussing their respective studies that have contributed to the Human Cell Atlas; Dr. Chenqu Suo and Dr. Cecilia Domínguez Conde from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Irene Walsh and Professor Claire Smith
In this interview, News Medical speak to Irene Walsh, the director of Product, Design & Content, and 3D4Medical at Elsevier, and Professor Claire Smith, Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, about the real-world applications of the Complete Anatomy female model, the most advanced full female anatomy model in the world.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2022