Health officials investigate first case of new drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea in Massachusetts

On Jan. 19, health officials said a unique strain of gonorrhea found in two Massachusetts residents had little to no response to five classes of antibiotics.

The lack of response is something the State Department of Public Health says has never happened before in the U.S., raising concern and prompting further investigation in collaboration with the CDC.

Both cases were eventually cured with ceftriaxone.

Gonorrhea is known to sometimes be resistant to antibiotic treatment, but resistance to the five classes of therapeutic drug treatments is new and worrisome in this case. In 2020, the CDC reported that 50 percent of gonorrhea cases were found to be resistant to at least one antibiotic.

This particular strain of drug-resistant gonorrhea is new to the US. It has previously only been found in the UK and Asia-Pacific, according to a state press release. Gonorrhea, the second most common sexually transmitted disease, infects more than half a million people each year, and the number is rising, according to the CDC. Since 2009, gonorrhea infection rates have risen by 111 percent.

“The discovery of this strain of gonorrhea is a major public health concern, and the DPH, CDC and other health departments are vigilantly monitoring the discovery in the US,” Margret Cook, Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health, said in a statement. “Physicians are encouraged to review the clinical alert and assist in our expanded surveillance efforts.”

Along with this news, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a document detailing the actions physicians should take in response to the findings, including testing and retesting steps, ceftriaxone treatment dosage, and consultation with local clinical microbiology laboratories.

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