In Europe, cases of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection, resistant to the antibiotics used to treat it, are increasing in a “worrying trend”. This is the alarm raised by a report from the ECDC, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which based on the latest data from the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (Euro-Gasp) underlines “the fundamental need for continuous monitoring to update guidelines on treatment and control measures, and ensure prudent use of drugs” in a context of record numbers.
Super-gonorrhea, a new antibiotic promises to combat it
by Mara Magistroni
09 November 2023
The data
“In 2022, according to the ECDC, 70,881 confirmed cases of gonorrhea were reported in 28 countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area, with an increase of 48% compared to 2021. In 2022, in the EU/EEA, the notification rate for gonorrhea is the highest recorded since European surveillance of sexually transmitted infections began in 2009”, the experts highlight. Alarmed by the numbers of the disease, but also by its growing ‘invulnerability’ to treatments.
Out of a total of 4,396 samples taken from patients diagnosed with gonorrhea, analyzed in 2022 by 23 countries as part of the surveillance program, “2 isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistant to ceftriaxone, the antibiotic recommended for the treatment of gonorrhea, stand out.
Sexually transmitted infections alarm: syphilis and gonorrhea on the rise, even in under 25s
07 November 2023
These bacterial strains, ECDC warns, have also shown extensive drug resistance (XDR) and multidrug resistance (MDR)”, characteristics “which further limit therapeutic options”. Not only that: between 2021 and 2022 “the percentage of isolates resistant to azithromycin increased significantly from 14.2% to 25.6%”. A figure considered “particularly worrying”, considering that “azithromycin is often used with ceftriaxone to treat gonorrhea”. In the same period ” resistance to ciprofloxacin also grew, from 62.8% to 65.9%”. And “although resistance to cefixime remains low (0.3%), continuous monitoring is essential, warns the agency, in particular because the strains Gonococci resistant to cefixime and ceftriaxone are spreading internationally.”
Antibiotic resistance, a combination of drugs that saves lives
by Irma D’Aria
May 28, 2024
Antibiotic resistance
“Although the majority of gonorrhea infections in the EU/EEA remain treatable with currently recommended antibiotics, increasing trends in antibiotic resistance are worrying and require increased vigilance,” writes the ECDC. “The increase in resistant strains may compromise the effectiveness of existing therapeutic options, posing a significant public health challenge until new drugs become available,” experts explain.
The agency therefore invites us to implement “strengthened, continuous and expanded surveillance, of guaranteed quality, on antimicrobial sensitivity, to promptly detect resistance patterns”, and to “periodically review and update therapeutic guidelines based on the most recent surveillance data on antimicrobial resistance, so as to ensure the availability of the most effective treatments”.
Sexually transmitted diseases, infections increase: the symptoms and what to do to avoid them
by Donatella Zorzetto
May 24, 2024
It is also “fundamental to invest in the development of new antibiotics and alternative therapeutic regimens”. But it is also necessary to “strengthen public health initiatives aimed at preventing the spread of gonorrhea, including greater access to diagnostic services”, and “promote international cooperation to contribute to the monitoring and control of the spread of resistant strains” from one country to another ‘other. Experts insist on the importance of “prevention to slow the spread of gonorrhea and mitigate the risk of antimicrobial resistance”: practicing safe sex, undergoing tests for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections, avoiding ‘do-it-yourself’ in taking antibiotics (do not consume unnecessary drugs and do not stop those prescribed), repeat the tests to verify the success of the treatment.
