Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Ontario sees rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea cases

From CTV News:
There has been a sharp increase in the percentage of gonorrhea cases in Ontario that are resistant to antibiotics that until recently were potent and simple-to-use weapons against the sexually transmitted infection, a new study published Tuesday reveals.

The research showed that 28 per cent of gonorrhea samples tested in 2006 were resistant to fluoroquinolone drugs, up from four per cent in 2002. And in selected sites, it was even higher, according to the study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Fully 55 per cent of samples from one unnamed clinic -- identified by the researchers as treating a large clientele of men who have sex with men -- were quinolone resistant. The authors said to their knowledge this is the highest resistance rate so far reported in North America.

Both the authors and infectious diseases experts who were not involved in the work were startled by how quickly and how high the rate climbed. ...more

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