Gonorrhea-resistant pathogens spread across Europe

Scientists warn that rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is currently observed. They were found in 17 European countries in 2010, 7 countries more than the previous year.

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), located in Stockholm, in 2010, gonorrhea has become the second most common STD in Europe, with more than 32,000 infections.

Despite the fact that the most common causative agents of STDs are chlamydia (the number of infections caused by them exceeds 345,000 cases per year), it is the situation of gonorrhea that ECDC management considers critical. Experts note an increase in the incidence of diseases caused by "superbugs", which could make gonorrhea an incurable disease in the near future. The number of cases of gonorrhea caused by a pathogen resistant to cefixime, an antibiotic recommended for the treatment of the disease, increased from 4% in 2009 to 9% in 2010.

The ECDC report contains a warning from the World Health Organization regarding the global spread of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea pathogens causing virtually incurable cases. According to ECDC experts, health care professionals and clinicians should consider the plight and prepare for possible treatment failures.

An ambiguous trend is also observed in the prevalence of STDs in Europe, which is manifested by a sharp increase in the incidence of chlamydia and a slight decrease in the number of cases of gonorrhea and syphilis.