Health
More gonorrhea cases resistant to oral antibiotics
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 17, 2004
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that ceftriaxone and spectinomycin become the first-line choice for treating cases of gonorrhea among gay and bisexual men. Both are only available by injection.
The agency took this action because of findings published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report last month that concluded the fluoroquinolones were losing their effectiveness against the bacteria in this population. Nearly 5% of specimens collected from men who have sex with men were resistant in 2003 -- an amount more than double the rate of nearly 2% in 2002.
Fluoroquinolones have been the preferred treatment since 1993 because they are cheap, effective and available in pill form. The new recommendation may make treatment trickier for clinicians, noted the CDC. Additionally, physicians and other health care professionals are asked to be vigilant for possible treatment failures.
The inclusion of cases acquired by men who have sex with men is the latest addition to the growing list of drug-resistant versions of the bug. Cases acquired in Asia, the Pacific Islands, England, Wales, Hawaii and California have shown high levels of resistance for several years.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/05/17/hlbf0517.htm.
