In a study published in Eurosurveillance, scientists say a man in his 50s contracted super-gonorrhea.
The man got the disease after having sex without a condom in Cambodia with a sex worker. People with gonorrhea are treated with antibiotics, usually ceftriaxone or azithromycin.
N. gonorrhoeae has developed antibiotic tolerance since the 1930s, which is a major worry as many cases may become resistant to treatment. They said it’s a global health threat.
The super-strain found in the Austrian man was resistant to ceftriaxone, azithromycin, cefixime, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline.
Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and is the 2nd most frequent STD after chlamydia, with 677,769 reported cases in 2020.
Symptoms include painful urination, pus-like discharge from the penis tip, testicle pain or swelling, increased vaginal secretions, heavy menstrual bleeding. Untreated gonorrhea can lead to infertility, increase HIV risk, and spread to the joints.
The Austrian man complained of painful urination and urethral discharge five days after sex with the Cambodian woman. Antibiotics were prescribed for his gonorrhea.
Two weeks later, despite his ailments easing and a swab culture of urethral, rectal, and pharyngeal samples being negative, a PCR test on the urethral sample was positive for gonorrhea.
The man’s resistant strain of gonorrhea was related to “WHO Q,” which has been linked to 3 cases in South East Asia in 2018.
Improved prevention (including condom use), early and accurate diagnosis, and efficient, accessible and affordable treatment (ideally including test of cure and contact notification and treatment) of gonorrhea are imperative.
The Cambodian woman who may have infected the man has not been located.
