Latest news with #ColumbiaUniversityVagelosCollegeofPhysiciansandSurgeons
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Yes, meningitis can cause serious illness and even death. But is it contagious?
Yes, meningitis can cause serious illness and even death. But is it contagious? Show Caption Hide Caption Why Meningitis can be life threatening if not treated quickly It is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis to help identify it early and get prompt treatment. unbranded - Lifestyle, unbranded - Lifestyle Your body's brain and spinal cord are surrounded by three layers of membranes known as the meninges. These protective membranes are vital for providing structural support, cushioning tissue, improving circulation of cerebrospinal fluid and enhancing immune health by providing a defensive barrier against disease. Meningitis is what happens when the meninges become infected and inflamed, leading to a host of worrisome symptoms that range in seriousness depending on what's causing the infection and inflammation. Some of these symptoms include a high fever, lethargy, hearing loss, kidney failure, confusion, brain damage, learning disabilities, coma and possibly death. "Other symptoms include irritability, unconsciousness, stiff neck, seizures, nausea/vomiting and sensitivity to light," says Dr. John Sellick, a professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division at the University at Buffalo. Here's why there are such a wide variety of symptoms associated with meningitis and why not every form of meningitis is contagious. What is meningitis? There are multiple types of meningitis, which are typically classified by their cause. These include bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic. Viral meningitis is the more common form of the disease but is also generally considered the least dangerous. Viruses such as mumps, West Nile, HIV and the herpes simplex virus can all cause viral meningitis. More commonly though, viral meningitis is caused by a group of viruses known as enteroviruses. Bacterial meningitis differs from viral meningitis as it's the least common but most dangerous type of meningitis. About one in six people who get it die, and one in five suffer severe complications, per the World Health Organization. Bacterial meningitis is caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream and traveling to the meninges. Other times, this bacterial can enter the meninges directly due to a head injury or ear or sinus infection. Fungal meningitis is caused by inhaling fungal spores such as ones found in bird droppings or decaying wood. It can cause death if not treated by antifungal medicine and is especially worrisome in people with compromised immune systems, says Dr. Jatin Vyas, a professor of medicine in the infectious disease division at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Parasitic meningitis can be caused by a tapeworm infection in the brain or by cerebral malaria. Rarely, an amoeba that lives in certain bodies of freshwater can enter the nose and travel to the brain. Chemicals, allergies, adverse reactions to certain medications and some cancers can also cause meningitis. "Tuberculosis is another cause of meningitis, but tuberculous meningitis is rare in the United States," says Dr. Rodrigo Hasbun, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School. Heads up: This type of meningitis is fast and deadly. Here's what to know. Is meningitis contagious? Some forms of meningitis are contagious while others are not. Parasitic, fungal and chemical meningitis, for instance, cannot be passed from person to person. Bacterial meningitis can be contagious, but it depends on which bacterial strain has caused the infection. Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, for instance, can not only be transmitted but is so contagious that "in many cases, persons who have been in close contact with patients with Neisseria meningitidis meningitis are given antibiotics to avoid infection," says Vyas. The most easily transmitted type of the disease is viral meningitis, which can be passed directly from the infected individual when they cough or sneeze or by sharing the same cups or utensils or touching a surface the virus is on, then touching one's eyes, nose or mouth. Fecal-oral transmission can also occur if an infected person doesn't wash their hands and then contaminates surfaces. At the same time, not all forms of viral meningitis are contagious or spread easily. "West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquito bites and not by human-to-human contact and the herpes simplex virus is only transmitted by unprotected sex," says Hasburn. It's also worth noting, adds Vyas, that not all the contagious viruses related to meningitis will end up causing meningitis in every person they spread to. Yes, exercise lowers blood pressure. This workout helps the most. Can meningitis be prevented? While not all forms of meningitis can be prevented in everyone, certain types can be avoided. Bacterial meningitis, for instance, can be prevented by getting vaccinated against the strains of bacteria that cause the disease. These include the Hib, MenB, MenACWY and PCV15 and PPSV23 vaccines, says Hasbun. Some forms of viral meningitis can also be avoided by "excellent hand hygiene such as with alcohol hand rubs or hand washing," says Sellick. "Condom use can help you avoid herpes simplex and syphilis transmission," says Hasbun. It's also important to wear repellent when outdoors and to avoid the insects that can spread it, advises Sellick. "Your healthcare provider can provide specific recommendations about which vaccines you need and how to best avoid meningitis in your area," says Vyas. "And if you develop signs and symptoms of any form of the disease, it's critical to seek prompt medical care."
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New antibiotic is effective against gonorrhea, could be first new treatment since 1990s, study says
A new type of antibiotic for treatment of urinary tract infections in women could also work against gonorrhea infections, a new study finds. This could put the medication, called gepotidacin, on track to become the first new antibiotic for gonorrhea since the 1990s. 'Gepotidacin is a novel oral antibacterial treatment with the potential to become an alternative option for the treatment of gonococcal infections, supported by an acceptable safety and tolerability profile,' the researchers wrote in the study published Monday in The Lancet, adding that the drug 'could mark a meaningful advancement in patient care.' As an antibiotic, gepotidacin works by inhibiting bacteria from replicating in the body. In March, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women and girls ages 12 and older. Recurrent UTIs have become a bigger problem as the bacteria that cause them have become more resistant to the antibiotics available to treat them. Now, there is new hope that gepotidacin may help fight drug-resistant gonorrhea. 'The big takeaway is that having additional treatment options for gonorrhea is fantastic,' said Dr. Jason Zucker, an infectious disease and sexually transmitted infections expert and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, who was not involved in the new study. Effective treatments for gonorrhea have become increasingly limited in recent years due to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, rendering many previously used first-line antibiotics ineffective. The current standard of care involves an intramuscular injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone, which requires a visit to a care facility. A key benefit of gepotidacin is that it would not involve an injection at the doctor's office, which could make treating gonorrhea more convenient for patients, Zucker said. 'Right now, patients come in, especially if they are not having symptoms, if they test positive, we have to ask them to come back. For some people, that's not so easy,' he said. 'So obviously, the ability to have the pharmacy send treatment to their house, or have them be able to pick it up, would really make things a lot easier for people and reduce the number of doctor visits they have, especially if they have jobs where they don't have a lot of time off.' Gonorrhea can lead to serious health problems if left untreated, and though rare, can even spread to the blood or joints. Among women, untreated gonorrhea can cause an infection of the reproductive organs called pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to a greater risk of pregnancy complications and infertility. In men, gonorrhea also can lead to infertility in rare cases. In the United States, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted infections or STIs have become more common. Reported cases of three nationally notifiable STIs – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – were up 90% in the US in 2023 compared with about two decades prior in 2004, according to data released last year by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 2.4 million cases of STIs were reported in 2023 nationally. The Phase 3 trial, conducted between October 2019 and October 2023, included more than 600 people ages 12 and older who were diagnosed with gonorrhea in the urogenital area across six countries: Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study was funded by the pharmaceutical company GSK, which developed the antibiotic, and the development of gepotidacin was funded in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, according to GSK. About half of the study participants were treated with a gepotidacin regimen of two oral doses administered about 10 to 12 hours apart, at 3,000-milligrams per dose. The other participants were provided with the current standard treatment of administering a single dose of the antibiotic ceftriaxone as an injection paired with orally taking the antibiotic azithromycin. The trial data, which is being presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference, showed that gepotidacin was as effective as the current leading combination treatment, and was also effective against treatment-resistant infections, which occur when strains of gonorrhea are resistant to currently used antibiotics. The gonorrhea infections were cured among 92.6% of the study participants who were administered gepotidacin compared with 91.2% of the study participants who were treated with ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. Among the 7.4% of participants in the gepotidacin group who were not successfully treated, they all were due to missing data, according to GSK, which added that 'in participants with complete data, there was no bacterial persistence at the urogenital body site.' While the study primarily assessed gepotidacin as a treatment for urogenital gonorrhea, some participants with rectal and throat infections were evaluated. Of those with complete data, the study showed that it was more difficult to treat gonorrhea in the throat compared with other body sites, as 14 out of 16 people with throat gonorrhea and complete data – 88% – were successfully treated. The researchers wrote that the prevalence of throat infections 'warrants further investigation' in a larger group of participants, as does studying the efficacy of geptodiacin in the treatment of gonorrhea in the throat. 'Pharyngeal gonorrhea is notoriously harder to treat and plays a key role in silent transmission and resistance development, so having reliable oral options at all anatomical sites is critical,' Zucker, said. The international team of researchers found no life-threatening nor fatal side effects associated with either treatment approach used in the study, but the gepotidacin group had higher rates of side effects compared with the ceftriaxone-plus-azithromycin group, which were mostly gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea and nausea, and almost all were mild or moderate, according to the study. 'One of the challenges is that a lot of oral antibiotics have GI side effects,' Zucker said. The researchers noted that it will be important to investigate the efficacy of gepotidacin for treating gonorrhea in groups not primarily represented in the study especially women and Black and Brown communities, as 92% of participants in the study were men, 74% were White and 71% were men who have sex with men. If gepotidacin is approved for the treatment of gonorrhea in the United States, 'the price will be disclosed when the product will be supplied in a market. Our approach would be for it to reflect the value and outcomes they bring to patients, providers and payers while being sensitive to market and societal expectations,' according to a GSK spokesperson. Bluejepa, the brand name for the version of gepotidacin approved in the United States to treat UTIs, is expected to be available in the second half of 2025. The new study was 'very well-done' with 'rigorous data,' and having more options to treat gonorrhea is critical for slowing down the bacteria's drug resistance, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a clinical professor of public health at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the trial. 'The more options doctors have to treat gonorrhea means that they do not have to use the same drug over and over again, which is a recipe for disaster and more resistance. We know that using the same drug over and over again leads to drug resistance,' Klausner said in the email. 'If gepotidacin is approved and recommended for gonorrhea treatment, that is a true advance and will greatly help our efforts to slow down drug resistance in gonorrhea.' In the study, researchers noted that using gepotidacin to treat gonorrhea as an oral treatment option, not an injection, may be more efficient and reduces the risk of persistent, drug-resistant infections. Yet there is some concern that strains of gonorrhea may eventually develop resistance to gepotidacin, according to a comment paper accompanying the new study in The Lancet. 'In our opinion, N gonorrhoeae will also develop gepotidacin resistance when the selective pressure increases and where compliance to the dual-dose regimen is suboptimal,' Magnus Unemo of Örebro University in Sweden and Teodora Wi of the World Health Organization in Switzerland wrote in the paper. 'Due to the inherent ability of gonococci to develop resistance, difficulties in increasing the gepotidacin dose due to adverse events, and the lack of other treatment options, preclinical and clinical development of additional gonorrhoea treatments remains important,' they wrote. 'In conclusion, gepotidacin is promising for the treatment of gonorrhoea, but the challenges to retain gonorrhoea as a treatable infection will continue.'
CNN
14-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
New antibiotic is effective against gonorrhea, could be first new treatment since 1990s, study says
A new type of antibiotic for treatment of urinary tract infections in women could also work against gonorrhea infections, a new study finds. This could put the medication, called gepotidacin, on track to become the first new antibiotic for gonorrhea since the 1990s. 'Gepotidacin is a novel oral antibacterial treatment with the potential to become an alternative option for the treatment of gonococcal infections, supported by an acceptable safety and tolerability profile,' the researchers wrote in the study published Monday in The Lancet, adding that the drug 'could mark a meaningful advancement in patient care.' As an antibiotic, gepotidacin works by inhibiting bacteria from replicating in the body. In March, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women and girls ages 12 and older. Recurrent UTIs have become a bigger problem as the bacteria that cause them have become more resistant to the antibiotics available to treat them. Now, there is new hope that gepotidacin may help fight drug-resistant gonorrhea. 'The big takeaway is that having additional treatment options for gonorrhea is fantastic,' said Dr. Jason Zucker, an infectious disease and sexually transmitted infections expert and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, who was not involved in the new study. Effective treatments for gonorrhea have become increasingly limited in recent years due to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, rendering many previously used first-line antibiotics ineffective. The current standard of care involves an intramuscular injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone, which requires a visit to a care facility. A key benefit of gepotidacin is that it would not involve an injection at the doctor's office, which could make treating gonorrhea more convenient for patients, Zucker said. 'Right now, patients come in, especially if they are not having symptoms, if they test positive, we have to ask them to come back. For some people, that's not so easy,' he said. 'So obviously, the ability to have the pharmacy send treatment to their house, or have them be able to pick it up, would really make things a lot easier for people and reduce the number of doctor visits they have, especially if they have jobs where they don't have a lot of time off.' Gonorrhea can lead to serious health problems if left untreated, and though rare, can even spread to the blood or joints. Among women, untreated gonorrhea can cause an infection of the reproductive organs called pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to a greater risk of pregnancy complications and infertility. In men, gonorrhea also can lead to infertility in rare cases. In the United States, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted infections or STIs have become more common. Reported cases of three nationally notifiable STIs – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – were up 90% in the US in 2023 compared with about two decades prior in 2004, according to data released last year by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 2.4 million cases of STIs were reported in 2023 nationally. The Phase 3 trial, conducted between October 2019 and October 2023, included more than 600 people ages 12 and older who were diagnosed with gonorrhea in the urogenital area across six countries: Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study was funded by the pharmaceutical company GSK, which developed the antibiotic, and the development of gepotidacin was funded in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, according to GSK. About half of the study participants were treated with a gepotidacin regimen of two oral doses administered about 10 to 12 hours apart, at 3,000-milligrams per dose. The other participants were provided with the current standard treatment of administering a single dose of the antibiotic ceftriaxone as an injection paired with orally taking the antibiotic azithromycin. The trial data, which is being presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference, showed that gepotidacin was as effective as the current leading combination treatment, and was also effective against treatment-resistant infections, which occur when strains of gonorrhea are resistant to currently used antibiotics. The gonorrhea infections were cured among 92.6% of the study participants who were administered gepotidacin compared with 91.2% of the study participants who were treated with ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. Among the 7.4% of participants in the gepotidacin group who were not successfully treated, they all were due to missing data, according to GSK, which added that 'in participants with complete data, there was no bacterial persistence at the urogenital body site.' While the study primarily assessed gepotidacin as a treatment for urogenital gonorrhea, some participants with rectal and throat infections were evaluated. Of those with complete data, the study showed that it was more difficult to treat gonorrhea in the throat compared with other body sites, as 14 out of 16 people with throat gonorrhea and complete data – 88% – were successfully treated. The researchers wrote that the prevalence of throat infections 'warrants further investigation' in a larger group of participants, as does studying the efficacy of geptodiacin in the treatment of gonorrhea in the throat. 'Pharyngeal gonorrhea is notoriously harder to treat and plays a key role in silent transmission and resistance development, so having reliable oral options at all anatomical sites is critical,' Zucker, said. The international team of researchers found no life-threatening nor fatal side effects associated with either treatment approach used in the study, but the gepotidacin group had higher rates of side effects compared with the ceftriaxone-plus-azithromycin group, which were mostly gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea and nausea, and almost all were mild or moderate, according to the study. 'One of the challenges is that a lot of oral antibiotics have GI side effects,' Zucker said. The researchers noted that it will be important to investigate the efficacy of gepotidacin for treating gonorrhea in groups not primarily represented in the study especially women and Black and Brown communities, as 92% of participants in the study were men, 74% were White and 71% were men who have sex with men. If gepotidacin is approved for the treatment of gonorrhea in the United States, 'the price will be disclosed when the product will be supplied in a market. Our approach would be for it to reflect the value and outcomes they bring to patients, providers and payers while being sensitive to market and societal expectations,' according to a GSK spokesperson. Bluejepa, the brand name for the version of gepotidacin approved in the United States to treat UTIs, is expected to be available in the second half of 2025. The new study was 'very well-done' with 'rigorous data,' and having more options to treat gonorrhea is critical for slowing down the bacteria's drug resistance, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a clinical professor of public health at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the trial. 'The more options doctors have to treat gonorrhea means that they do not have to use the same drug over and over again, which is a recipe for disaster and more resistance. We know that using the same drug over and over again leads to drug resistance,' Klausner said in the email. 'If gepotidacin is approved and recommended for gonorrhea treatment, that is a true advance and will greatly help our efforts to slow down drug resistance in gonorrhea.' In the study, researchers noted that using gepotidacin to treat gonorrhea as an oral treatment option, not an injection, may be more efficient and reduces the risk of persistent, drug-resistant infections. Yet there is some concern that strains of gonorrhea may eventually develop resistance to gepotidacin, according to a comment paper accompanying the new study in The Lancet. 'In our opinion, N gonorrhoeae will also develop gepotidacin resistance when the selective pressure increases and where compliance to the dual-dose regimen is suboptimal,' Magnus Unemo of Örebro University in Sweden and Teodora Wi of the World Health Organization in Switzerland wrote in the paper. 'Due to the inherent ability of gonococci to develop resistance, difficulties in increasing the gepotidacin dose due to adverse events, and the lack of other treatment options, preclinical and clinical development of additional gonorrhoea treatments remains important,' they wrote. 'In conclusion, gepotidacin is promising for the treatment of gonorrhoea, but the challenges to retain gonorrhoea as a treatable infection will continue.'
CNN
14-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
New antibiotic is effective against gonorrhea, could be first new treatment since 1990s, study says
A new type of antibiotic for treatment of urinary tract infections in women could also work against gonorrhea infections, a new study finds. This could put the medication, called gepotidacin, on track to become the first new antibiotic for gonorrhea since the 1990s. 'Gepotidacin is a novel oral antibacterial treatment with the potential to become an alternative option for the treatment of gonococcal infections, supported by an acceptable safety and tolerability profile,' the researchers wrote in the study published Monday in The Lancet, adding that the drug 'could mark a meaningful advancement in patient care.' As an antibiotic, gepotidacin works by inhibiting bacteria from replicating in the body. In March, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women and girls ages 12 and older. Recurrent UTIs have become a bigger problem as the bacteria that cause them have become more resistant to the antibiotics available to treat them. Now, there is new hope that gepotidacin may help fight drug-resistant gonorrhea. 'The big takeaway is that having additional treatment options for gonorrhea is fantastic,' said Dr. Jason Zucker, an infectious disease and sexually transmitted infections expert and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, who was not involved in the new study. Effective treatments for gonorrhea have become increasingly limited in recent years due to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, rendering many previously used first-line antibiotics ineffective. The current standard of care involves an intramuscular injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone, which requires a visit to a care facility. A key benefit of gepotidacin is that it would not involve an injection at the doctor's office, which could make treating gonorrhea more convenient for patients, Zucker said. 'Right now, patients come in, especially if they are not having symptoms, if they test positive, we have to ask them to come back. For some people, that's not so easy,' he said. 'So obviously, the ability to have the pharmacy send treatment to their house, or have them be able to pick it up, would really make things a lot easier for people and reduce the number of doctor visits they have, especially if they have jobs where they don't have a lot of time off.' Gonorrhea can lead to serious health problems if left untreated, and though rare, can even spread to the blood or joints. Among women, untreated gonorrhea can cause an infection of the reproductive organs called pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to a greater risk of pregnancy complications and infertility. In men, gonorrhea also can lead to infertility in rare cases. In the United States, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted infections or STIs have become more common. Reported cases of three nationally notifiable STIs – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – were up 90% in the US in 2023 compared with about two decades prior in 2004, according to data released last year by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 2.4 million cases of STIs were reported in 2023 nationally. The Phase 3 trial, conducted between October 2019 and October 2023, included more than 600 people ages 12 and older who were diagnosed with gonorrhea in the urogenital area across six countries: Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study was funded by the pharmaceutical company GSK, which developed the antibiotic, and the development of gepotidacin was funded in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, according to GSK. About half of the study participants were treated with a gepotidacin regimen of two oral doses administered about 10 to 12 hours apart, at 3,000-milligrams per dose. The other participants were provided with the current standard treatment of administering a single dose of the antibiotic ceftriaxone as an injection paired with orally taking the antibiotic azithromycin. The trial data, which is being presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference, showed that gepotidacin was as effective as the current leading combination treatment, and was also effective against treatment-resistant infections, which occur when strains of gonorrhea are resistant to currently used antibiotics. The gonorrhea infections were cured among 92.6% of the study participants who were administered gepotidacin compared with 91.2% of the study participants who were treated with ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. Among the 7.4% of participants in the gepotidacin group who were not successfully treated, they all were due to missing data, according to GSK, which added that 'in participants with complete data, there was no bacterial persistence at the urogenital body site.' While the study primarily assessed gepotidacin as a treatment for urogenital gonorrhea, some participants with rectal and throat infections were evaluated. Of those with complete data, the study showed that it was more difficult to treat gonorrhea in the throat compared with other body sites, as 14 out of 16 people with throat gonorrhea and complete data – 88% – were successfully treated. The researchers wrote that the prevalence of throat infections 'warrants further investigation' in a larger group of participants, as does studying the efficacy of geptodiacin in the treatment of gonorrhea in the throat. 'Pharyngeal gonorrhea is notoriously harder to treat and plays a key role in silent transmission and resistance development, so having reliable oral options at all anatomical sites is critical,' Zucker, said. The international team of researchers found no life-threatening nor fatal side effects associated with either treatment approach used in the study, but the gepotidacin group had higher rates of side effects compared with the ceftriaxone-plus-azithromycin group, which were mostly gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea and nausea, and almost all were mild or moderate, according to the study. 'One of the challenges is that a lot of oral antibiotics have GI side effects,' Zucker said. The researchers noted that it will be important to investigate the efficacy of gepotidacin for treating gonorrhea in groups not primarily represented in the study especially women and Black and Brown communities, as 92% of participants in the study were men, 74% were White and 71% were men who have sex with men. If gepotidacin is approved for the treatment of gonorrhea in the United States, 'the price will be disclosed when the product will be supplied in a market. Our approach would be for it to reflect the value and outcomes they bring to patients, providers and payers while being sensitive to market and societal expectations,' according to a GSK spokesperson. Bluejepa, the brand name for the version of gepotidacin approved in the United States to treat UTIs, is expected to be available in the second half of 2025. The new study was 'very well-done' with 'rigorous data,' and having more options to treat gonorrhea is critical for slowing down the bacteria's drug resistance, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a clinical professor of public health at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the trial. 'The more options doctors have to treat gonorrhea means that they do not have to use the same drug over and over again, which is a recipe for disaster and more resistance. We know that using the same drug over and over again leads to drug resistance,' Klausner said in the email. 'If gepotidacin is approved and recommended for gonorrhea treatment, that is a true advance and will greatly help our efforts to slow down drug resistance in gonorrhea.' In the study, researchers noted that using gepotidacin to treat gonorrhea as an oral treatment option, not an injection, may be more efficient and reduces the risk of persistent, drug-resistant infections. Yet there is some concern that strains of gonorrhea may eventually develop resistance to gepotidacin, according to a comment paper accompanying the new study in The Lancet. 'In our opinion, N gonorrhoeae will also develop gepotidacin resistance when the selective pressure increases and where compliance to the dual-dose regimen is suboptimal,' Magnus Unemo of Örebro University in Sweden and Teodora Wi of the World Health Organization in Switzerland wrote in the paper. 'Due to the inherent ability of gonococci to develop resistance, difficulties in increasing the gepotidacin dose due to adverse events, and the lack of other treatment options, preclinical and clinical development of additional gonorrhoea treatments remains important,' they wrote. 'In conclusion, gepotidacin is promising for the treatment of gonorrhoea, but the challenges to retain gonorrhoea as a treatable infection will continue.'
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Health
- USA Today
This type of meningitis is fast and deadly. Here's what to know.
When it comes to bacterial infections, bacterial meningitis may not be the most common one, but it is certainly among the most serious. "The most worrisome part of bacterial meningitis is the lethality of the disease and the rapidity of its onset," explains Dr. Jatin Vyas, a professor of medicine in the infectious disease division at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. "Patients can go from being well to very sick within hours." Here's what bacterial meningitis is, how it's different from viral and other types of meningitis, and what treatment can be expected if you or a loved one is diagnosed with it. What is meningitis? What are symptoms? Meningitis is an infection that causes the thin layers of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed, explains Dr. Rodrigo Hasbun, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. He says there are several types of meningitis that include bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic and ones caused by non-infectious factors. Viral meningitis is the more common and less serious form of the disease, Hasbun explains, while bacterial meningitis "accounts for the minority of meningitis cases but can be associated with severe neurological complications and even death." Indeed, bacterial meningitis "has a fatality rate of about one in six and causes long-term complications in one in five survivors," says Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco. Such long-term complications include hearing loss, vision problems, learning difficulties or limb amputations due to sepsis. "Early recognition and treatment are critical to preventing these outcomes," he says. Common symptoms of viral meningitis include fever, headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and confusion, says Nagata. "In severe cases, it may cause seizures, coma or a purple rash." Infants may show different signs such as poor feeding, irritability, bulging of the soft spot on their head or lethargy. Noted:There are more than 300 headache causes. These are the most common ones. What causes meningitis? Common causes of viral meningitis include enteroviruses, herpes viruses, the West Nile virus, mumps and influenza viruses. Bacterial meningitis can be caused by bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae, explains Nagata. Vyas says a look at one's family history and a physical examination that includes an evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid obtained via spinal tap is required to know whether one is dealing with viral or bacterial meningitis. Fungi like Cryptococcus and parasites or amoebas can cause fungal meningitis or parasitic meningitis. Non-infectious causes of meningitis include head injuries, adverse reactions to certain medications, cancer or autoimmune disorders like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, says Dr. John Sellick, a professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division at the University at Buffalo. Important to know:Arthritis is common, especially among seniors. Here's what causes it. How is meningitis treated? Meningitis treatment varies widely depending on its cause. Bacterial meningitis, for instance, "requires immediate intravenous antibiotics and sometimes corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, while viral meningitis usually resolves on its own with rest, fluids and pain relievers," says Nagata. He says that antivirals may also be used against specific viruses like herpes while fungal meningitis is treated with antifungal medications. "Non-infectious meningitis is managed by addressing the underlying condition, such as autoimmune diseases or cancer," he adds. And while bacterial meningitis can be life-threatening, "early treatment improves outcomes," says Nagata. "The best treatments start with a prompt diagnosis of what is causing the disease," echoes Vyas. Prevention through vaccination is also important. You can get vaccinated against the viruses that can lead to meningitis and get the MenACWY vaccine, which protects against four types of meningococcal bacteria that cause meningitis. This vaccine, says Sellick, "has very high efficacy in preventing infection."
