Antimicrobial (Drug) Resistance In Gonorrhea
Description
Gonorrhea is commonly referred to as "the clap." The incidence of gonorrhea has steadily declined since the 1980s, largely due to increased public awareness campaigns and the risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases, such asAIDS. Still, current estimates range from 400,000 to as many as one million projected cases of gonorrhea in the United States each year. These estimates vary due to the private nature of the disease and the consequent underreporting that occurs. The majority of reported cases of gonorrhea come from public health clinics.
The disease affects people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic levels, but some individuals are more at-risk than others. Adolescents and young adults are the highest risk group, with more than 80% of the reported cases each year occurring in the 15-29 age group. Those individuals with multiple sexual partners and who use no barrier contraception, such as condoms, are most at-risk. Reported rates vary among racial and ethnic groups.
The risk factors for gonorrhea are not unlike those for all sexually transmitted diseases. Both men and women can become infected through a variety of sexual contact behaviors, including oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse. The disease is transmitted very efficiently. In fact, women run a 60-90% chance of contracting the disease after just one sexual encounter with an infected male. The disease can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her infant during delivery.
The disease affects people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic levels, but some individuals are more at-risk than others. Adolescents and young adults are the highest risk group, with more than 80% of the reported cases each year occurring in the 15-29 age group. Those individuals with multiple sexual partners and who use no barrier contraception, such as condoms, are most at-risk. Reported rates vary among racial and ethnic groups.
The risk factors for gonorrhea are not unlike those for all sexually transmitted diseases. Both men and women can become infected through a variety of sexual contact behaviors, including oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse. The disease is transmitted very efficiently. In fact, women run a 60-90% chance of contracting the disease after just one sexual encounter with an infected male. The disease can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her infant during delivery.
Gonorrhea Environment
Neisseria gonorrhoeae does not thrive in the environment and grows in a CO2 environment, therefore, the urethra, cervix, rectum, and throat are the main sites of infection. Once the gonococci gain entrance into the mucous membranes of these areas, they target columnar non-ciliated epithelial cells. Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses a type IV pilus (twitches, forms bundles and able to take up DNA) to anchor itself at the infection site. The pilEgene has been found to be the main factor for adherence to epithelial cells. In a study, missense mutations of the pilE gene revealed altered fiber morphology. PilE mutants had a defect in filament assembly, hence, less adherence to human epithelial cells. In a wild type sample there are significant interconnections of cells, then compared to a sample with a missense PilE polypeptide, we can see reduced interconnections of the cells and filamentous structure. These defects only are expressed when the pilT gene is activated.
Biotic Factors
Humans are the only biotic factors of this virus.
Abiotic Factors
Gonorrhea can be translated at any temperature or pH.
How Gonorrhea Became Resistant
Gonorrhea has already become resistant to every other class of drug used to treat it. For that reason, the CDC is urging doctors to immediately change their practice and begin treating with an injectable cephalosporin and adding one of two oral medications
Benefits and Negatives to Gonorrhea
Positives:
THERE ARE NO POSITIVE BENEFITS TO THIS MESS!!!!
Negatives:
In women, untreated gonorrhea affects the reproductive system by being a cause of pelvic inflammatory disease. Additionally, an abscess could form in the ovaries, inflammation of the glands, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. If the women is pregnant and develops gonorrhea, the complications could lead to a miscarriage, premature rupture of the membranes, and an infection of the uterus. If the baby is born prematurely, the baby has the risk of additionally health problems. Untreated gonorrhea can be passed to the infant during passage through birth canal.
Women run higher risks of developing serious complications because they may not experience the symptoms until the latter stages. They are more likely to have the infection in other parts of the body. Simultaneous treatment of sexual partners is important to prevent reoccurring infections.
THERE ARE NO POSITIVE BENEFITS TO THIS MESS!!!!
Negatives:
In women, untreated gonorrhea affects the reproductive system by being a cause of pelvic inflammatory disease. Additionally, an abscess could form in the ovaries, inflammation of the glands, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. If the women is pregnant and develops gonorrhea, the complications could lead to a miscarriage, premature rupture of the membranes, and an infection of the uterus. If the baby is born prematurely, the baby has the risk of additionally health problems. Untreated gonorrhea can be passed to the infant during passage through birth canal.
Women run higher risks of developing serious complications because they may not experience the symptoms until the latter stages. They are more likely to have the infection in other parts of the body. Simultaneous treatment of sexual partners is important to prevent reoccurring infections.
Resources
Resistant Effect Food Web: Human
The disease, which infects 106 million people each year, has increasingly become resistant to antibiotics, with cases now being reported of immunity to the last line of antibiotics left to cure it, the World Health Organization stated in a recent news release.
But gonorrhea isn't the only bug that's outsmarting antibiotics. For example, certain strains of E. coli, a bacterium commonly linked to food-borne illnesses, have become resistant to common treatments. The World Health Organization has reported that 440,000 cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a form of TB resistant to two key drug treatments, develop each year and cause at least 150,000 deaths. A rarer and more resistant TB strain, called extensively drug-resistant TB, has been found in 64 countries, according to the WHO, which notes the capacity of bugs to spread across the globe.
But gonorrhea isn't the only bug that's outsmarting antibiotics. For example, certain strains of E. coli, a bacterium commonly linked to food-borne illnesses, have become resistant to common treatments. The World Health Organization has reported that 440,000 cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a form of TB resistant to two key drug treatments, develop each year and cause at least 150,000 deaths. A rarer and more resistant TB strain, called extensively drug-resistant TB, has been found in 64 countries, according to the WHO, which notes the capacity of bugs to spread across the globe.
Resistant Effect Food Web
If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery. This can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby. Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these complications. Pregnant women should consult a health care provider for appropriate examination, testing, and treatment, as necessary.
Gonorrhea's Symptoms
As many as 80% of women with gonorrhea show no symptoms. If present, symptoms may include the following:
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!!!!!!
CDC estimates that, annually, more than 700,000 people in the United States get new gonorrhea infections and less than half of these infections are reported to CDC. In 2010, 309,341 cases of gonorrhea were reported.