Europe sees slight increase of drug resistance in gonorrhea treatment

Gonococci across Europe have showed slightly higher resistance to the recommended drug for gonorrhea treatment in 2013, according to a new report released by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Successful treatment of gonorrhea, one of the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infections in Europe, requires effective antibiotics, said the ECDC in a press release.

Moreover, even a small increase in drug resistance has a relevant impact due to the risk of treatment failure, emphasized the ECDC.

On an annual basis, countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) participate in the European Gonococci Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (Euro-GASP) to test susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhea to the commonly used antibiotics for gonorrhea treatment.

In 2013, 21 EU/EEA countries collected and tested a total of 1,994 isolates, which shows that nearly 5 percent of the tested isolates were resistant to cefixime, one of the main antibiotic agents used for treatment in Europe, said the report.

The report also indicated that gonorrhea infections that were less susceptible to cefixime were more likely to be found in female and heterosexual male patients.

In addition, resistance to ceftriaxone, another key antibiotic agent, also increased slightly between 2012 and 2013. Endit