L’AIDS, l’immunodeficienza acquisita derivante dall’infezione da virus HIV, è un problema mondiale sempre più presente, ma oggi, questa sua supremazia potrebbe essere scalzata da un altro bacillo sessualmente trasmissibile e molto agguerrito: l’HO41.
Questo superbatterio, scoperto già due anni fa in Giappone in una giovane trentunenne che ne era affetta, è il ceppo di Gonorrea HO41 antibiotico-resistente.
Poiché è divenuto resistente agli antibiotici, questo batterio potrebbe divenire una minaccia reale e preoccupante – dato che, visto il caso, non esiste una cura.
Sebbene la FDA americana faccia sapere che i casi di gonorrea classici si possono trattare efficacemente con le tradizionali cure, a preoccupare gli esperti è il ceppo divenuto antibiotico-resistente.
«Prendersi la gonorrea da questo ceppo – ha commentato alla CNBC il dottor Alan Christianson, naturopata – potrebbe portare qualche persona alla morte in pochi giorni a causa di uno shock settico [o setticemia]. Questo è molto pericoloso».
Secondo Christianson, il superbatterio potrebbe essere molto peggio dell’AIDS nel giro di poco tempo. Essendo un batterio molto aggressivo, nel tempo potrà interesserare in modo rapido sempre più persone, sottolinea l’esperto.
«E’ una situazione di emergenza – ha aggiunto William Smith, direttore esecutivo della National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), un ente per la promozione della salute sessuale – Mentre il tempo passa, è sempre più pericoloso».
La gonorrea è una malattia che si trasmette attraverso un contatto sessuale non protetto. Popolarmente è anche conosciuta come “scolo”. Altri nomi sono blenorrea, blenorragia.
E’ un’infezione difficile da rilevare poiché in molti casi è asintomatica (in circa il 50 per cento delle donne e nel 5 per cento degli uomini), tuttavia se non trattata può portare a tutta una serie di complicazioni per la salute più o meno gravi.
Nelle donne, tra l’altro, può portare a infertilità. Spesso, quando si manifesta, è caratterizzata da arrossamento e perdite vaginali di modesta entità; nei maschi si hanno condizioni dolore e bruciore nella minzione e anche sterilità. Oltre a ciò si possono sviluppare malattie potenzialmente letali e, da non ultime, infezioni a carico del cuore.
Una comune infezione sessuale può dunque trasformarsi e assumere connotati inquietanti, per via della capacità di alcuni batteri di divenire resistenti agli antibiotici: è noto il grave problema dei batteri MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) e CRE (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) che, ogni anno, mietono milioni di vittime in tutto il mondo.
Una soluzione urgente è davvero necessaria. Nel frattempo, cerchiamo di non avere rapporti sessuali non protetti.
http://www.lastampa.it/2013/05/07/scien ... agina.html
HO41
Re: HO41
ohhh ecco, una buona notizia ogni tanto, ci voleva proprio! 
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Re: HO41
Oggi arriva una buona notizia.
CDC e NIH hanno condotto un trial su due nuovi regimi che usano antibiotici già approvati per combattere i ceppi di gonorrea resistenti: iniezioni di gentamicina + azitromicina per via orale e - tutto per via orale - gemifloxacina + azitromicina. Pare proprio che abbiano funzionato.
Two New Promising Treatment Regimens for Gonorrhea
Additional options urgently needed
Two new antibiotic regimens using existing drugs – injectable gentamicin in combination with oral azithromycin and oral gemifloxacin in combination with oral azithromycin – successfully treated gonorrhea infections in a clinical trial. The trial was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study was conducted to identify new treatment options in the face of growing antibiotic resistance.
The findings will be presented this week by CDC’s Robert Kirkcaldy, M.D., at the 20th Meeting of The International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Kirkcaldy served as the clinical trial’s principal investigator.
All drugs studied in the trial were Food and Drug Administration-approved and are available in the United States. This is the first clinical trial to evaluate them as combination therapy for gonorrhea.
Researchers found 100 percent effectiveness of the injectable gentamicin/oral azithromycin combination in curing genital gonorrhea infections, and 99.5 percent effectiveness of the oral gemifloxacin/oral azithromycin combination. Both combinations cured 100 percent of infections of the throat and rectum. However, many trial participants reported adverse effects from the drugs, mostly gastrointestinal issues.
“These trial results are an exciting step in the right direction in the fight against drug-resistant gonorrhea,” said Gail Bolan, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “But patients need more oral options with fewer side effects. It is imperative that researchers and pharmaceutical companies prioritize research to continue to identify new, effective, better-tolerated drugs and drug combinations.”
“In addition to developing new treatment options, additional measures to stay ahead of resistant gonorrhea are critical,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). “For example, a point-of-care drug susceptibility test would help providers know — at the time of diagnosis — which treatment regimen will be most effective. Progress toward a vaccine is urgently needed.”
NIAID sponsored the Phase IVExternal Web Site Icon clinical trial, which began in 2010 and enrolled 401 men and women ages 15 to 60 with untreated gonorrhea infection. The study was conducted at NIAID-funded clinical trial sites in Baltimore; Birmingham, Ala.; Los Angeles; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and San Francisco.
Of the 202 participants in the gentamicin/azithromycin arm, 28 percent experienced nausea, 19 percent experienced diarrhea and 7 percent experienced either abdominal discomfort/pain or vomiting. Of the 199 participants in the gemifloxicin/azithromycin arm, 37 percent experienced nausea, 23 percent experienced diarrhea, and 11 percent experienced abdominal discomfort/pain.
Today’s announcement does not change current gonorrhea treatment guidelines. CDC still recommends only one first-line treatment regimen: injectable ceftriaxone, in combination with one of two other oral antibiotics, either azithromycin or doxycycline. This regimen remains highly effective in treating gonorrhea and causes limited side effects. However, providers may consider using the regimens studied in this trial as alternative options when ceftriaxone cannot be used, such as in the case of a severe allergy. CDC is taking the findings of this trial into consideration for inclusion in future treatment guidelines.
Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, where more than 800,000 gonorrhea infections are estimated to occur each year. Although some men and women may have symptoms (such as discharge or burning when urinating), most people infected with gonorrhea do not. As a result, many infections go undetected and untreated. Left untreated, gonorrhea can cause serious health problems, particularly for women, including chronic pelvic pain, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Gonorrhea infection also increases a person’s risk of contracting and transmitting HIV.
It remains critical for people to take steps to protect themselves from gonorrhea infection. The surest way to prevent infection is not having sex. For those who are sexually active, consistent and correct condom use and limiting the number of sex partners can help reduce the risk of infection.
CDC e NIH hanno condotto un trial su due nuovi regimi che usano antibiotici già approvati per combattere i ceppi di gonorrea resistenti: iniezioni di gentamicina + azitromicina per via orale e - tutto per via orale - gemifloxacina + azitromicina. Pare proprio che abbiano funzionato.
Two New Promising Treatment Regimens for Gonorrhea
Additional options urgently needed
Two new antibiotic regimens using existing drugs – injectable gentamicin in combination with oral azithromycin and oral gemifloxacin in combination with oral azithromycin – successfully treated gonorrhea infections in a clinical trial. The trial was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study was conducted to identify new treatment options in the face of growing antibiotic resistance.
The findings will be presented this week by CDC’s Robert Kirkcaldy, M.D., at the 20th Meeting of The International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Kirkcaldy served as the clinical trial’s principal investigator.
All drugs studied in the trial were Food and Drug Administration-approved and are available in the United States. This is the first clinical trial to evaluate them as combination therapy for gonorrhea.
Researchers found 100 percent effectiveness of the injectable gentamicin/oral azithromycin combination in curing genital gonorrhea infections, and 99.5 percent effectiveness of the oral gemifloxacin/oral azithromycin combination. Both combinations cured 100 percent of infections of the throat and rectum. However, many trial participants reported adverse effects from the drugs, mostly gastrointestinal issues.
“These trial results are an exciting step in the right direction in the fight against drug-resistant gonorrhea,” said Gail Bolan, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “But patients need more oral options with fewer side effects. It is imperative that researchers and pharmaceutical companies prioritize research to continue to identify new, effective, better-tolerated drugs and drug combinations.”
“In addition to developing new treatment options, additional measures to stay ahead of resistant gonorrhea are critical,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). “For example, a point-of-care drug susceptibility test would help providers know — at the time of diagnosis — which treatment regimen will be most effective. Progress toward a vaccine is urgently needed.”
NIAID sponsored the Phase IVExternal Web Site Icon clinical trial, which began in 2010 and enrolled 401 men and women ages 15 to 60 with untreated gonorrhea infection. The study was conducted at NIAID-funded clinical trial sites in Baltimore; Birmingham, Ala.; Los Angeles; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and San Francisco.
Of the 202 participants in the gentamicin/azithromycin arm, 28 percent experienced nausea, 19 percent experienced diarrhea and 7 percent experienced either abdominal discomfort/pain or vomiting. Of the 199 participants in the gemifloxicin/azithromycin arm, 37 percent experienced nausea, 23 percent experienced diarrhea, and 11 percent experienced abdominal discomfort/pain.
Today’s announcement does not change current gonorrhea treatment guidelines. CDC still recommends only one first-line treatment regimen: injectable ceftriaxone, in combination with one of two other oral antibiotics, either azithromycin or doxycycline. This regimen remains highly effective in treating gonorrhea and causes limited side effects. However, providers may consider using the regimens studied in this trial as alternative options when ceftriaxone cannot be used, such as in the case of a severe allergy. CDC is taking the findings of this trial into consideration for inclusion in future treatment guidelines.
Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, where more than 800,000 gonorrhea infections are estimated to occur each year. Although some men and women may have symptoms (such as discharge or burning when urinating), most people infected with gonorrhea do not. As a result, many infections go undetected and untreated. Left untreated, gonorrhea can cause serious health problems, particularly for women, including chronic pelvic pain, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Gonorrhea infection also increases a person’s risk of contracting and transmitting HIV.
It remains critical for people to take steps to protect themselves from gonorrhea infection. The surest way to prevent infection is not having sex. For those who are sexually active, consistent and correct condom use and limiting the number of sex partners can help reduce the risk of infection.