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By: RYAN LEE COMMENTS
 
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and outbreaks of
syphilis,” he said.
The CDC also issued sobering news about gonorrhea among gay and bisexual men
earlier this week. Although the national rate of gonorrhea dropped to an all-time
low of 116.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2003, CDC expressed concern about increases
in drug-resistant strains developing in gay and bisexual men.
Gonorrhea, whose symptoms can include a burning sensation when urinating, or
a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis, is usually cured with antibiotics.
But one antibiotic, fluoroquinolones, is becoming increasingly obsolete for
gay and bisexual men, Valdiserri said.
“We can’t develop one antibiotic and use it forever and ever because
for the most part these germs will evolve to the point where it is resistant,”
Valdiserri said.
In April, the CDC said increased resistance to fluoroquinolones meant it should
no longer be used to treat gay and bisexual men, he said.
The problem is that the only remaining antibiotics for gonorrhea are injectable,
which can sometimes dissuade individuals from seeking treatment, Valdiserri
said.
If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women
and cause epididymitis, a painful condition of the testicles that can lead to
infertility in men. It can also spread to the blood and joints of a patient,
a condition that can be life-threatening, according to the CDC.
Gonorrhea, syphilis and certain other STDs also make it easier for an individual
to contract HIV, according to health experts.
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