Someting to cheer up your New Year

[LONDONER]

http://rt.com/news/superbug-gonorrhea-aids-sex-900/

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100685883

[MisterTinkles]

Nothing beats a happy new year, like a deadly sex virus.

I think I am turned off of sex completely now, after reading that.

[LONDONER]

Nothing beats a happy new year, like a deadly sex virus.

I think I am turned off of sex completely now, after reading that.

Apologies for my irony but I think that it is an important thing for everyone to know.

[southbiochem]

This is the obvious consecuence of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics..

We already have Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as one of the more aggressive examples

NCBI shows reports from research groups that have been finding increasing antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae since the 70s

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1045427/

more so, this particular bacteria does a good job in decreasing the immune system's capability to respond to an infection

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15953032

Now, Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a gram negative bacteria, that can be particularly sensitive to cationic antimicrobial peptides..

antimicrobial peptides are usually very good in a wide range of antibacterial activity even in strains that are resistant to antibiotics, with very low cytotoxicity..

the human immune system naturally produces some of these AMPs to fight infection..others can be produced synthetically..

so there are 2 places to go from here:

first, end the fight that some conservative and religious groups have against proper sexual education so as to put a focus on preventing the disease beforehand

second, AMPs need to be the focus of pharmaceuticals over antibiotics (something that is slowly starting to happen) specially since AMPs are biodegradable and don't present the side effects that some antibiotics have for example in liver or kidney damage..

most specially, it's particularly rare that a bacteria can develop AMPs resistance

[MisterTinkles]

This is the obvious consecuence of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics..

We already have Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as one of the more aggressive examples

NCBI shows reports from research groups that have been finding increasing antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae since the 70s

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1045427/

more so, this particular bacteria does a good job in decreasing the immune system's capability to respond to an infection

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15953032

Now, Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a gram negative bacteria, that can be particularly sensitive to cationic antimicrobial peptides..

antimicrobial peptides are usually very good in a wide range of antibacterial activity even in strains that are resistant to antibiotics, with very low cytotoxicity..

the human immune system naturally produces some of these AMPs to fight infection..others can be produced synthetically..

so there are 2 places to go from here:

first, end the fight that some conservative and religious groups have against proper sexual education so as to put a focus on preventing the disease beforehand

second, AMPs need to be the focus of pharmaceuticals over antibiotics (something that is slowly starting to happen) specially since AMPs are biodegradable and don't present the side effects that some antibiotics have for example in liver or kidney damage..

most specially, it's particularly rare that a bacteria can develop AMPs resistance

STOOOOOP!!!!!

You know what "geek talk" does to me!!!!!!

[Geminize]

The RT article is unnecessarily alarmist, and the "worse than AIDS" quote comes from one naturopath. Naturopaths as a group have a weak grasp on reality. Antibiotic resistant gonorrhea is certainly a concern, but sensationalizing it to grab headlines is irresponsible.

Here is some better information about the issue:
http://www.ncsddc.org/sites/default/file..._sheet.pdf

And this from the US Center for Disease Control:

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.

[LONDONER]

Thanks for your input Geminize. The important thing is that people should be made aware of any STD. Too many people are taking unecessary risks these days having unprotected sex. As you say, gonorrhea can go for a long time without being detected so on the whole, I don't think that sensationalising the subject can do much harm. It might do some good.

[Geminize]

Don't get me wrong, Londoner, I'm glad you brought this up. I just have a problem with the headline and the way the article was written. I think there is a potential for harm from sensationalizing this kind of thing. It's like the boy who cried wolf, if we keep hearing about potential health threats that never materialize.

The basic advice is still the same: the safest sex (other than no sex, which isn't sex) remains --

• limit your number of sex partners
  
• use condoms
  
• get tested regularly
  
• know your sexual partner(s)