Breaking news reports have highlighted concerns by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) about an increasing number of ‘drug resistant’ gonorrhoea cases. This means that the cases are not responding to antibiotic treatment.
Traditionally, an antibiotic called ceftriaxone is used to treat gonorrhoea, which is a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Fears have been expressed that this resistance to antibiotics might increase, making the infection untreatable.
The UKHSA says that in the 15 months from January last year to March 20 this year, 17 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea were reported. This figure is already higher than the 16 cases reported in the 24 months of 2022 and 2023. Most of the cases of ceftriaxone-resistance appear to be linked to travel, specifically to and from the Asia-Pacific region.
Untreated gonorrhea can cause infertility, an infection of the female reproductive system, and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
What is Antibiotic Resistance & Should We Be Concerned?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) speaks of the phenomenon as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which happens when microorganisms stop responding to antimicrobial medicines. Antibiotics are listed among the different variations of these medicines, which also include antivirals and antiparasitics.
AMR is a threat to the effective prevention and treatment of a range of infections caused by parasites, fungi, viruses and bacteria. It is also one of the leading global public health threats.
Figures released by WHO in September last year, show that AMR is responsible for around 133 000 deaths in the European region each year. It also costs the European Union and European Economic area around GPB 11,7-billion each year.
A study published in The Lancet journal in September last year warned of the possibility of as many as 29 million deaths related to AMR in the period leading to 2050. According to Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, experts ‘expect’ the prevalence of AMR to get worse in coming years.
The WHO has referred to AMR as ‘one of the top global public health and development threats’.
What Causes Antibiotic Resistance & How to Prevent it
Antibiotic resistance happens when pathogens mutate and develop the ability to defeat the drugs which have been formulated and designed to defeat them. This makes resistant infections difficult, if not impossible, to treat.
There are different reasons this might happen. Sometimes, natural genetic changes happen in pathogens over time. These changes mean that pathogens then fail to respond to antibiotic treatment in the same way that they did before.
Another reason for AMR can be the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Travel, as well as inadequate infection prevention and control can also be responsible. To solve the crisis, professionals and community members need to ensure that the right antimicrobial is used to treat the right infection. In other words, the prescribing and use of the treatments needs to be managed.
Preventing an infection from happening in the first place, through correct preventative measures, will also ensure that less antimicrobials are used. Knowing where resistant pathogens are surfacing can also help contain the problem, and investing in new treatment strategies is also paramount.