Data from a new surveillance report show rising resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime, the two antibiotics currently recommended for gonorrhea treatment.
High-level tetracycline resistance and reduced susceptibility to cefixime was found in gonorrhea bacteria from doxyPEP users.
The finding suggests that doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis is unlikely to reduce the region's rate of the sexually transmitted infection.
Reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis declined for the third straight year in 2024, but cases of newborn syphilis were up by 2%.
The findings indicate that expanding gonorrhea and chlamydia screening in emergency departments may be warranted, the authors say.
The FDA has agreed to fast-track its review of gepotidacin, an oral antibiotic already approved for urinary tract infections, for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea.
The UK's National Health Service is offering the 4CMenB vaccine, which provides cross-protection against gonorrhea, to patients at the greatest risk of infection.
A genomic analysis finds the percentage of US gonorrhea isolates carrying tetracycline resistance genes rose from 10% in 2020 to more than 30% in 2024.
A review and meta-analysis of data from 51 countries shows median tetracycline resistance in the bacterium that causes gonorrhea is 54%.
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis isn't formally available in the Netherlands, but 23% of respondents to an online survey said they've used it.
