Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Found In U.S.: Here’s What To Know

Topline

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced on Thursday two cases of a novel strain of gonorrhea—one which is resistant to five classes of antibiotic treatment, and which health officials have warned about for years—were found in Massachusetts.

Key Facts

The patients—who the MDPH have yet to find a connection between—were ultimately treated and cured with ceftriaxone, the only antibiotic recommended to treat gonorrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gonorrhea can easily develop a resistance to antibiotics, and almost half of the infections reported in 2020 were estimated to have been resistant to at least one form of antibiotic—the CDC named gonorrhea one of the three most urgent threats posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 2013.

Gentamicin was the only drug tested against the Massachusetts strain the bacteria wasn't resistant toward, but the antibiotic is generally believed to be a less effective treatment against gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, and is the second most commonly reported STI in the U.S, following chlamydia.

According to the MDPH report, this novel strain has been found in the United Kingdom and Asia-Pacific countries, but these are the first cases discovered in the U.S.

In 2021, the CDC recommended treating the STI using double doses of ceftriaxone to combat the bacteria's antibiotic resistance, which was effective in treating these cases.

Scientists have been studying new treatments for gonorrhea like zoliflodacin, which had positive results in a 2018 study by the National Institutes of Health—it's undergoing clinical trials and hasn't yet been approved for gonorrhea treatment by the Food and Drug Administration.

Symptoms Of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is contracted through sexual contact with the mouth, vagina, penis or anus of an infected partner. It can also be passed from a pregnant mother to the infant. Most women are asymptomatic, according to the CDC. Even when symptoms are present, they're often so mild, they're mistaken for a vaginal or bladder infection. However, initial symptoms in women include increased vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding between periods or painful urination. Many men are also asymptomatic, but their symptoms appear differently. Symptoms of gonorrhea in men include white, yellow or green discharge (which appears between one and 14 days from infection), painful urination and scrotal or testicular pain. Rectal infection symptoms in both men and women include itching, soreness, painful bowel movements, discharge and bleeding. A gonorrhea infection may also be present in the throat and a sore throat is a symptom. Gonorrhea can only be diagnosed through an STI screening. The CDC recommends annual testing for sexually active adults and testing every three to six months for those with multiple partners.

Dangers Of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea complications in women can result in the infection spreading to the fallopian tubes or the uterus and causing pelvic inflammatory disease. PID can lead to chronic pelvic pain and internal abscesses, and can cause damage to the fallopian tubes, which can lead to infertility issue and a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy (when an egg grows outside of the main uterus cavity). If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she can pass it to her baby, which can cause joint infection, blindness or a life-threatening blood infection in the infant. In men, gonorrhea can lead to epididymitis (swelling or pain in the back of the testicle in the epididymis, the tube that stores and carries sperm), and in rare cases, cause infertility issues. If left untreated, gonorrhea can spread to the blood and cause a life-threatening condition called disseminated gonococcal infection in both men and women, which can lead to septic arthritis, meningitis, skin lesions, endocarditis (when bacteria travels to the heart via the bloodstream) and more. Untreated gonorrhea can also heighten a person's risk of transmitting or acquiring HIV.

Suprising Fact

The Covid pandemic resulted in an increase of sexually transmitted infections due to an increase in sexual activity and fewer people getting routine checkups. The number of syphilis cases in the U.S. rose almost 70% between 2019 and 2021, and although not as steep, chlamydia and gonorrhea cases increased as well, according to the CDC. 2.5 million cases of these three STIs were reported in 2021 alone.

Critical Quote

"The discovery of this strain of gonorrhea is a serious public health concern which DPH, the CDC and other health departments have been vigilant about detecting in the U.S.," Margret Cooke, the public health commissioner, said in a statement.

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