Washington, D.C. -
The most commonly used drugs to fight gonorrhea are no long useful in treating gay men the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
The drugs, fluoroquinolones, are no match for new strains of gonorrhea showing up in increasing numbers across the country in gay and bisexual men. Reports from Massachusetts and New York City also indicate that rates of resistant gonorrhea in 2003 were up to eight times higher among MSM than among heterosexual men.
A CDC study of men seen at sexually transmitted disease clinics in 23 U.S. cities that participate in the CDC’s gonococcal surveillance program found that the proportion of gonorrhea cases resistant to fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin) more than doubled, from 0.4 percent in 2002 to 0.9 percent in 2003. Occurrence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria-gonorrhoeae (QRNG) was highest among MSM, increasing nearly three-fold in 2003.
“Drug-resistant gonorrhea is a rapidly emerging health concern, particularly for gay and bisexual men,” said Dr. John Douglas, director of CDC’s STD prevention programs.
The new CDC-recommended treatment options for MSM with gonorrhea include the injectable antibiotics ceftriaxone and spectinomycin. The antibiotic cefixime is also an option, but is only available in liquid form in the United States.
The CDC said there was no need to go to the stronger drugs for heterosexuals at this time.
Dr Douglas said that the CDC is working with state and local health departments to ensure that physicians and health care providers know about the new recommendations for drug-resistant gonorrhea in MSM and that they receive future updates on treatment options.
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau
©365Gay.com® 2004
The drugs, fluoroquinolones, are no match for new strains of gonorrhea showing up in increasing numbers across the country in gay and bisexual men. Reports from Massachusetts and New York City also indicate that rates of resistant gonorrhea in 2003 were up to eight times higher among MSM than among heterosexual men.
A CDC study of men seen at sexually transmitted disease clinics in 23 U.S. cities that participate in the CDC’s gonococcal surveillance program found that the proportion of gonorrhea cases resistant to fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin) more than doubled, from 0.4 percent in 2002 to 0.9 percent in 2003. Occurrence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria-gonorrhoeae (QRNG) was highest among MSM, increasing nearly three-fold in 2003.
“Drug-resistant gonorrhea is a rapidly emerging health concern, particularly for gay and bisexual men,” said Dr. John Douglas, director of CDC’s STD prevention programs.
The new CDC-recommended treatment options for MSM with gonorrhea include the injectable antibiotics ceftriaxone and spectinomycin. The antibiotic cefixime is also an option, but is only available in liquid form in the United States.
The CDC said there was no need to go to the stronger drugs for heterosexuals at this time.
Dr Douglas said that the CDC is working with state and local health departments to ensure that physicians and health care providers know about the new recommendations for drug-resistant gonorrhea in MSM and that they receive future updates on treatment options.
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau
©365Gay.com® 2004
This article originally appeared on 365gay.com. Republished with permission.
