Latest news with #N.gonorrhoeae
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Woman died after ‘rampant STI' invaded her body and attacked her vital organs – 4 signs you must know
A WOMAN died after an untreated STI invaded her body and attacked her vital organs. The unnamed woman from Alaska , who was in her 50s, passed away from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). 1 Alaskan health officials warned high risk strains of gonorrhoea might be affecting people without symptoms Credit: Alamy This is a rare but serious complication of the sexually transmitted infection It occurs when Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria spreads from the initial site of infection, seeping into the bloodstream and vital organs. DGI is thought to occur in just 0.5 percent of all gonorrhoea cases. The woman arrived at her local emergency department in Anchorage, Alaska, in spring this year, already in a critical condition. Read more on STIs She was in respiratory distress - when the lungs aren't working properly due to serious illness - and was diagnosed with septic shock and heart failure, caused by Further testing revealed her body had been invaded by gonorrhoea bacteria. But the patient wasn't diagnosed with DGI until after she'd passed away. There were no records of her being tested for gonorrhoea prior to her presenting at the emergency department. Most read in Health She'd been treated twice in the prior six months for opioid abuse, according to the Eight cases of DGI were reported in Alaska between January and May 2025, report authors added. How to put a condom on - NHS The cases were spotted after patients were evaluated in emergency departments in Anchorage. Epidemiologic investigations didn't establish connections between any of the DGI cases. While gonorrhoea can be got rid of with antibiotics, some infected people may not get tested or treated as they don't have symptoms of the STI, according to Dr Liz Ohlsen, a staff physician with the Alaska Department of Health who wrote the report. As a result, they run the risk of developing dangerous DGI, she told the Health officials fear that a strain less likely to cause symptoms is circulating in Alaska, Dr Ohlsen went on. 'We think the most likely explanation for the rise in DGI cases is that more people with gonorrhoea are not getting tested and treated in a timely manner," she said. "Asymptomatic infections are thought to pose a greater risk of persistent untreated infection because people are less likely to have sought care." The Alaska Department of Health bulletin warned that people in Anchorage with a new sexual partner, more than one sexual partner, or a partner with multiple partners might be at risk of acquiring a strain of N. gonorrhoeae that's thought to carry a higher risk of causing DGI. Symptoms of gonorrhoea Typical symptoms of gonorrhoea include: A thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis Pain when urinating Pain and discomfort in the rectum Lower abdominal pain and bleeding between periods in women and other people with a uterus or ovaries Gonorrhoea can affect other parts of your body that come into contact with semen or vaginal fluid. This can cause: Pain, itching and discharge from your bottom A sore throat Eye redness, pain and discharge However, many people infected with gonorrhoea will have no symptoms, especially for infections in the throat, vagina or rectum. This lack of symptoms makes it important to test regularly when having sex with new or casual partners. If you do get symptoms, they usually start around two weeks after infection, although they sometimes do not appear until many months later. Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health complications including: Infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) An infection of the female reproductive system, which includes the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries An infection in the testicles or prostate In rare cases, gonorrhoea bacteria can cause a disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). It can cause frequently results in purple or pus-filled spots on the skin, joint pain, inflamed tendons or septic joint infections. Rarely, DGI can lead to inflammation of the liver, endocarditis - an infection of the inner heart lining - and meningitis. Having gonorrhoea during pregnancy can increase your risk of premature birth and your baby having a low birth weight. There's also a risk the infection could spread to your baby's eyes during birth, which is called gonococcal conjunctivitis. This can cause blindness if it's not treated with antibiotics. "While no specific sexual network has been identified, this strain may be circulating more broadly among persons with gonorrhea infection in Southcentral Alaska," report authors said. "The absence of documented gonorrhoea risk factors in most DGI cases suggests patients may not be asked about or disclosing key sexual history . "Few had symptoms before presenting with DGI, consistent with its progression from untreated mucosal infections. "Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with GC are less likely to seek health care and may be at a higher risk of persistent untreated infection leading to disseminated infection." In the UK, health officials issued warnings earlier this year over cases of While most gonorrhoea infections can be treated effectively, certain resistant strains "present significant treatment challenges", the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. It warned that increased resistance could one day make the STI 'untreatable'. Meanwhile, the NHS announced it would begin vaccinating people against gonorrhoea come August, after cases of the STI hit a record 85,000 in 2023. Local sexual health clinics will offer the jab to gay and bisexual men, who are most at risk. Patients will receive the 4CMenB vaccine for meningitis B, which has been found to nearly halve the chances of catching Health chiefs reckon they can prevent around 10,000 cases per year. How to avoid STIs In general, sexually transmitted infections are highly preventable. The only method guaranteed to prevent STIs is to avoid any kind of sexual contact, but this method probably won't appeal to everyone! There are things you can do to limit the risk of exposure to infections while still enjoying an active sex life. The best way to avoid most STIs is to use a condom when you have vaginal or anal sex, as well as condoms and dental dams during oral sex. Below are some other things you can do to reduce the chances: Talking honestly with potential partners about your sexual history Getting tested, along with your new partner, before having sex Getting tested once a year Avoiding sex when under the influence of alcohol or drugs Completing a full course of treatment if you or your partner are diagnosed with an STI Not sharing sex toys, or washing them a covering them with a new condom if you do Where appropriate, getting vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Woman died after ‘rampant STI' invaded her body and attacked her vital organs – 4 signs you must know
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN died after an untreated STI invaded her body and attacked her vital organs. The unnamed woman from Alaska, who was in her 50s, passed away from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Alaskan health officials warned high risk strains of gonorrhoea might be affecting people without symptoms Credit: Alamy This is a rare but serious complication of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea. It occurs when Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria spreads from the initial site of infection, seeping into the bloodstream and vital organs. DGI is thought to occur in just 0.5 percent of all gonorrhoea cases. The woman arrived at her local emergency department in Anchorage, Alaska, in spring this year, already in a critical condition. She was in respiratory distress - when the lungs aren't working properly due to serious illness - and was diagnosed with septic shock and heart failure, caused by endocarditis, a potentially fatal infection of the heart's inner lining. Further testing revealed her body had been invaded by gonorrhoea bacteria. But the patient wasn't diagnosed with DGI until after she'd passed away. There were no records of her being tested for gonorrhoea prior to her presenting at the emergency department. She'd been treated twice in the prior six months for opioid abuse, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Eight cases of DGI were reported in Alaska between January and May 2025, report authors added. How to put a condom on - NHS The cases were spotted after patients were evaluated in emergency departments in Anchorage. Epidemiologic investigations didn't establish connections between any of the DGI cases. While gonorrhoea can be got rid of with antibiotics, some infected people may not get tested or treated as they don't have symptoms of the STI, according to Dr Liz Ohlsen, a staff physician with the Alaska Department of Health who wrote the report. As a result, they run the risk of developing dangerous DGI, she told the Alaska Beacon. Health officials fear that a strain less likely to cause symptoms is circulating in Alaska, Dr Ohlsen went on. 'We think the most likely explanation for the rise in DGI cases is that more people with gonorrhoea are not getting tested and treated in a timely manner," she said. "Asymptomatic infections are thought to pose a greater risk of persistent untreated infection because people are less likely to have sought care." The Alaska Department of Health bulletin warned that people in Anchorage with a new sexual partner, more than one sexual partner, or a partner with multiple partners might be at risk of acquiring a strain of N. gonorrhoeae that's thought to carry a higher risk of causing DGI. Symptoms of gonorrhoea Typical symptoms of gonorrhoea include: A thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis Pain when urinating Pain and discomfort in the rectum Lower abdominal pain and bleeding between periods in women and other people with a uterus or ovaries Gonorrhoea can affect other parts of your body that come into contact with semen or vaginal fluid. This can cause: Pain, itching and discharge from your bottom A sore throat Eye redness, pain and discharge However, many people infected with gonorrhoea will have no symptoms, especially for infections in the throat, vagina or rectum. This lack of symptoms makes it important to test regularly when having sex with new or casual partners. If you do get symptoms, they usually start around two weeks after infection, although they sometimes do not appear until many months later. Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health complications including: Infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) An infection of the female reproductive system, which includes the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries An infection in the testicles or prostate In rare cases, gonorrhoea bacteria can cause a disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). It can cause frequently results in purple or pus-filled spots on the skin, joint pain, inflamed tendons or septic joint infections. Rarely, DGI can lead to inflammation of the liver, endocarditis - an infection of the inner heart lining - and meningitis. Having gonorrhoea during pregnancy can increase your risk of premature birth and your baby having a low birth weight. There's also a risk the infection could spread to your baby's eyes during birth, which is called gonococcal conjunctivitis. This can cause blindness if it's not treated with antibiotics. "While no specific sexual network has been identified, this strain may be circulating more broadly among persons with gonorrhea infection in Southcentral Alaska," report authors said. "The absence of documented gonorrhoea risk factors in most DGI cases suggests patients may not be asked about or disclosing key sexual history. "Few had symptoms before presenting with DGI, consistent with its progression from untreated mucosal infections. "Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with GC are less likely to seek health care and may be at a higher risk of persistent untreated infection leading to disseminated infection." In the UK, health officials issued warnings earlier this year over cases of "extensively drug resistant" gonorrhoea that aren't responding to antibiotic treatment. While most gonorrhoea infections can be treated effectively, certain resistant strains "present significant treatment challenges", the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. It warned that increased resistance could one day make the STI 'untreatable'. Meanwhile, the NHS announced it would begin vaccinating people against gonorrhoea come August, after cases of the STI hit a record 85,000 in 2023. Local sexual health clinics will offer the jab to gay and bisexual men, who are most at risk. Patients will receive the 4CMenB vaccine for meningitis B, which has been found to nearly halve the chances of catching gonorrhoea in adults. Health chiefs reckon they can prevent around 10,000 cases per year.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Newly Discovered Antibiotic Could Fight One of The Nastiest Superbugs
Some strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea, have evolved to be resistant to most modern drugs. However, we may now have a new class of antibiotic to use as a weapon against the bacteria. According to the team, led by researchers from the University of Konstanz in Germany and the University of Vienna in Austria, what makes the newly identified compound so effective is that it launches a self-destruct sequence inside N. gonorrhoeae (also known as gonococci). The researchers started by looking at a group of alkyl quinolones (AQs), substances that some bacteria use to help trigger attack and defense mechanisms against other bacteria. As well as analyzing these AQs, the team synthesized new variations in the lab. "One of these new AQ molecules actually did have a unique effect," says cell biologist Christof Hauck, from the University of Konstanz. "The chemical compound was able to kill gonococci without having a negative impact on other microorganisms or human cells." That chemical compound was 2-nonyl-4-quinolone N-oxide or NQNO, which is taken from the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. In experiments, it was shown to block the growth of N. gonorrhoeae, stopping the bug in its tracks. More specifically, NQNO stops the electron transport chain inside gonococci, an essential part of the energy production process in cells. That then leads to increased stress on the bacteria, which causes one of its own toxins to appear and kill itself off. Even better, tests run by the researchers show that the compound doesn't harm some other, beneficial bacteria that can be found in the body. In mice models, the NQNO treatment was shown to be effective against gonorrhea, and the researchers were also able to create a more potent and effective version of it with some chemical engineering. "From other microorganisms, we know about such self-destruction programs based on toxin-antitoxin systems, and our AQ substance seems to precisely target this Achilles heel of gonococci," says microbiologist Ann-Kathrin Mix, from the University of Konstanz. N. gonorrhoeae is infamous enough that it's found a place on the Bacterial Priority Pathogens List put together by the World Health Organization (WHO), a 15-strong rogues gallery of the most dangerous superbugs. Part of the challenge in combating it is that it has a special superpower: being able to pick and choose genetic material from other microbes that the bacteria comes into contact with, including genes that promote antibiotic resistance. Work continues to combat gonorrhea and the tens of millions of infections it causes globally every year, and while it's still early days for this new treatment possibility, it could help us stay ahead of the rapidly evolving defenses of N. gonorrhoeae. "Gonococci are notorious for quickly becoming resistant to antibiotics," says microbial biochemist Thomas Böttcher, from the University of Vienna. "This is one of the reasons why gonococcal strains have recently emerged that are resistant to all antibiotics currently in use – such superbugs can no longer be treated with antibiotics." The research has been published in Nature Microbiology. Dementia in Younger People Is Often Overlooked. Here Are 5 Key Reasons. Massive Study Links 15 Factors to Early Dementia Risk Mattresses Could Be Exposing Kids to Dangerous Chemicals While They Sleep
Forbes
12-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Trump Layoffs Shut Down Key CDC Sexually Transmitted Diseases Lab
The Trump Administration has reportedly laid off all 28 full-time employees and 10 fellows from the ... More Sexually Transmitted Diseases Laboratory Reference and Research Branch. This lab, which has been housed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of STD Prevention, has played a key role in the surveillance of sexually transmitted infections. Pictured here are people protesting personnel cuts at the CDC's main headquarters on March 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by) A key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab for monitoring antibiotic-resistance in gonorrhea is now, well, gone. The Trump Administration has reportedly laid off all 28 full-time employees and 10 fellows from the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Laboratory Reference and Research Branch. This lab, which has been housed in the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, has played a key role in the surveillance of sexually transmitted infections, you know the things that have been on the rise over the past decade. Not having this lab around could make it all the more difficult to track bad-news pathogens that try to make festivals out of your genitals like gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia. This clearly is not super news, unless, of course, you happen to be super gonorrhea. The risk is that a lot of longstanding work is now in limbo and could go by the wayside. For example, what will become of the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP), which had been around for nearly forty years, having been established in 1986? The stated goal of the project is 'to monitor trends in antimicrobial susceptibilities of N. gonorrhoeae strains in the United States in order to establish an evidence-based rationale for selection of gonococcal therapies.' It's basically a surveillance system for gonorrhea that connects different STD clinics and state and local public health authorities across the country with various regional laboratories and the CDC. This project has involved regularly testing samples of N. gonorrhoeae obtained from STD clinics for their susceptibility to different antibiotics like cefixime, ceftriaxone, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. This can help guide treatment of such infections. It can also help prevent overuse of certain antibiotics, which in turn can lead to even more resistant organisms. I have warned in Forbes on multiple occasions about the contiunuing spread of multi-drug resistant gonorrhea and the rise of the s0-called super gonorrhea. Super gonorrhea may sound like a character in the DC or Marvel Universe. But it's actually Neisseria gonorrhoeae that's developed a high level of resistance to the antibiotics normally used to treat the infection: azithromycin and ceftriaxone. And untreated or untreatable gonorrhea can lead to all sorts of complications, including inflammation of the reproductive organs, infertility, bloodstream infections, rashes, sores and various problems that can keep the joints a-rocking such as pain, stiffness and inflammation. But that's not all folks. The lab has been serving as the central reference laboratory for STD testing all across the U.S. In other words, it's been testing the tests used throughout America to make sure that the testing is being done correctly. Taking out this lab could be like taking out Professor Charles Xavier of the X-men and then messing around with Cerebro. It could have major ripple effects on the Susceptibility testing for ciprofloxacin began Then there are the over 40 field workers in the Disease Intervention and Response Branch that los their jobs. They have been assisting local and state health departments with different STD interventions. Anyone who has seen the FAX machines at some of these local health departments will realize that many, many such departments do not have the funding, personnel or resources to handle such disease control themselves. A billboard reminds everyone that syphilis as well as other sexually transmitted diseases is ... More serious. (Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) All of this is happening despite the fact that the number of STD has been on the rise in recent years. A study from FAIR Health found that the percentage of patients with commercial health insurance patients who had STD diagnoses went up by 4.8 percent from 2020 to 2023. This included a 23.8 percentage rise among patients 65 years and older and a 16.2 percent jump among those 55 to 64 years of age. There was a more than fair increase in syphilis (29.4 percent), gonorrhea (16.8 percent) and HIV/AIDS (14.1 percent) diagnoses. It's unclear who in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be responsible for STD prevention and control going forward as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the whole thing, has not unveiled a plan or strategy going forward yet. I've reached out to Kennedy's team for further comment and will update the article accordingly. This hasn't been the only infectious disease capability dismantled by the Trump Administration. For example, I've already written in Forbes about how the HHS Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS Policy is being shuttered. It is one thing to cut important public health capabilities knowing that there will be a new organizational structure and resources to compensate. It's something completely different to cut such capabilities permanently without any plan to add them back. Even some of these capabilities are eventually re-established, who knows how much damage the pause will cause? Plus, keeping country's STD experts in the dark all along is a bit like a coach telling the entire football team that there is a game plan for the Super Bowl, but we're not going to tell anyone it. Now, you may think that sexually transmitted diseases won't affect you because you are in a supposedly committed relationship or wear like 50 condoms at the same time. But yu can't always control what your partners do. Plus, any uncontrolled disease is a drain on society's resources and will end up costing anyone who pays for health insurance, since higher healthcare use for anyone means higher premiums for everyone. Therefore, there should be incentive for everyone to work collectively to get rid of STDs and give any efforts to do so more than a slow clap, so to speak.
