Alarm as Drug-Resistant 'Super Gonorrhea' Spreads in Nairobi

Medical researchers in Nairobi have discovered a strain of super gonorrhea that is resistant to most drugs used to treat the STI, according to reports.

The drug-resistant gonorrhea was isolated from a sample taken from one of 24 sick sex workers from Nairobi last year, The Star reports.

The discovery was made by Amina Abdullahi, a researcher from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri), who said most of the sick women did not even have the clinical symptoms of gonorrhea.

The finding could mean an unknown number of Kenyans are carrying an almost incurable infection that can cause significant health problems, including permanent damage to the reproductive system.

The Kemri researcher tested the isolated bacterium against 13 antimicrobials comprising the mainstay antibiotics for the disease in Kenya.

“The result showed complete (100 percent) resistance to all the antimicrobials,” she stated.

Ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone, which are in the current STI treatment algorithm in Kenya, are the drugs that failed.

“The finding from the present study shows possible multidrug-resistant gonorrhea circulating among female sex workers in Nairobi, which is of concern,” Abdullahi added.

Super gonorrhea is a strain of the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae that has developed resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat the infection. 

This strain of the bacteria has an enzyme called antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) that can neutralize antibiotics, making it more difficult to treat. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated it as a “priority pathogen” due to the increasing resistance to antibiotics.

Symptoms of super gonorrhea include a burning sensation during urination, discharge from the genitals, and pain in the lower abdomen. In some cases, there may be no symptoms at all. 

If left untreated, super gonorrhea can lead to serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and even sepsis. 

The best way to prevent the spread of super gonorrhea is through the use of condoms during sex and regular testing.