STI may be the next superbug

The sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea, is becoming more difficult to treat due to drug resistance, an expert in the field of public health has warned.

Professor Catherine Ison, from the Health Protection Agency in London has said there is a "very real possibility" that strains of the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoea, will emerge in the near future which are resistant to the antibiotics currently used to treat the disease.

Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's spring meeting in Edinburgh, Professor Isson said some strains of the gonococcal bacteria that cause the disease are now less sensitive to antibiotics.

Current treatment for gonorrhoea usually consisits of a single dose of either cefixime or ceftriaxone.

"The current drugs of choice, ceftriaxone and cefixime, are still very effective but there are signs that resistance particularly to cefixime is emerging and soon these drugs may not be a good choice," the professor said.

"There are few new drugs available and so it is probable that the current use of a single dose may soon need to be revised and treatment over several days or with more than one antibiotic will need to be considered," she added.

Gonorrhoea is the second most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection, after chlamydia. If left untreated it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

The infection can also be passed on from mother to child during childbirth.

In the UK 16,629 people were diagnosed with the disease. The highest numbers of cases are usually in young people under the age of 25. Gonorrhoea is spread through unprotected sexual intercourse.

Symptoms in men are more common than in women and include discharge from the penis, and a burning sensation when passing urine.

In women, symptoms include a yellow or bloody vaginal discharge and a burning sensation when passing urine. The symptoms are usually noticeable 2-10 dayd after being infected.

It is also possible for someone to have the infection but without any symptoms, and be unaware they have the disease.

Contrary to popular belief, gonorrhoea cannot be caught through casual contact such as toilest seats, swimming pools and saunas.

This article was published on Tue 30 March 2010