Gonorrhea definition, symptoms & treatment: sexually-transmitted disease becoming more resistant to antibiotic, study finds

A recent study published in the Journal American Medical Association reveals that gonorrhea is becoming more resistant to one form of antibiotics.

As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause infections around the genital area, rectum, and throat.

Although some people do not experience any symptoms, WebMD says those who do may feel pain or a burning sensation while urinating. Men may have swollen testicles with discharge coming from the penis while women may experience vaginal discharge or bleeding between menstrual periods.

Bleeding and discharge from the rectal area or painful bowel movements may also occur.

Left untreated, the infection can result in infertility and chronic pelvic pain. In rare cases, the CDC says infection can spread to the joints and seep into the blood, making it fatal.

The CDC provides regular guidelines indicating what treatments can be used for treating gonorrhea. Cefixime is an antibiotic commonly used to treat the infection.

According to Medical Xpress, Dr. Kirkcaldy and his colleagues look at gonorrhea susceptibility trends, analyzing whether the bacteria is less or more susceptible to antibiotics. Dr. Robert Kirkcaldy is an epidemiologist for the CDC's STD prevention division in Atlanta says WebMD.

For this study, samples were taken from 51,144 patients infected with gonorrhea from various public clinics in 34 cities within the United States from 2006 to 2014. It was discovered that from 2006 to 2011, the bacteria became less susceptible to the cefixime treatment.

According to the JAMA report, between 2011 and 2013, resistance to the drug decreased. In 2014, the CDC found that the amount of resistant isolates increased from 0.4 to 0.8 percent.

WebMD says Cefixime is not commonly the first treatment prescribed to patients. According to the CDC's latest guidelines dated 2012, cefixime should only be used when the ceftriaxone-based combination therapy is not plausible.

Nevertheless, researchers are finding these results disconcerting.

"Trends of cefixime susceptibility have historically been a precursor to trends in ceftriaxone," Kirkcaldy said in an interview with reporters from MedicalResearch.com. "So it's important to continue monitoring cefixime to be able to anticipate what might happen with other drugs in the future."

"Recent increases in cefixime resistance show our work is far from over," Kirkcaldy added.

In the Medical Xpress report, Dr. Kirkcaldy believes that the 2014 results call for continued surveillance, search for new alternative treatments and making sure that the sexually transmitted disease is "treated according to the CDC's guidelines."