Health officials from the CDC and the Hawaii State Department of Public Health have identified the first cluster of gonorrhea infections in the United States to show resistance to available antibiotics.
Gonococcal isolates taken last spring from seven patients in Honolulu showed resistance to azithromycin at dramatically higher levels than typically seen in the US. Five of the samples also showed reduced susceptibility to ceftriazone.
Fear surrounding the sexually transmitted disease (STD) known as gonorrhea has dwindled in recent years because it has been effectively treatable with antibiotics. This aggressive strain, known as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has been difficult to treat with effective medicines for controlling gonorrhea in the past.
The CDC currently recommends dual therapy with ceftriazone (250 mg IM) and azithromycin (1 g oral) to treat gonorrhea.
“Our last line of defense against gonorrhea is weakening.” said Jonathan Mermin, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.
“If resistance continues to increase and spread, current treatment will ultimately fail and 800,000 Americans a year will be at risk for untreatable gonorrhea.”
Source: US Pharmacist