Yesterday 06:14 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/global-devel...cteria-amr
EXCERPTS: Why should a surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Europe be a concern across Africa or for people who don’t consider themselves to be at risk? Because it points to a bigger problem: the ease with which drug-resistant infections are now spreading, and not just in hospitals but within the community too.
[...] This is what is now happening with gonorrhoea through sexual contact, as extensively drug-resistant strains detected in Cambodia have spread as far afield as France and Australia. This is particularly worrying because Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to the antibiotics used to treat it, with only one last remaining recommended antibiotic, ceftriaxone, available. With a growing number of cases that are resistant even to this, gonorrhoea is in danger of becoming one of the first diseases to be no longer treatable.
While this is also happening with other drug-resistant bacteria, it is often not until they reach hospitals that they are detected. But they are out there and spreading. A gene that renders bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics was first identified in the 1990s and quickly moved between countries until it became established all over the world within little more than a decade.
Drug-resistant infections can flourish and become entrenched in hospitals. But evidence now shows that drug-resistant infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired in everyday environments are also becoming more common – and more dangerous, particularly for vulnerable groups such as cancer patients. In LMICs, where outpatient care plays a larger role and infection prevention resources are limited, the risks amplify.
Large studies report high rates of drug-resistant infections among cancer patients receiving outpatient care, with infections such as pneumonia occurring far more frequently and carrying a significant risk of death... (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: Why should a surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Europe be a concern across Africa or for people who don’t consider themselves to be at risk? Because it points to a bigger problem: the ease with which drug-resistant infections are now spreading, and not just in hospitals but within the community too.
[...] This is what is now happening with gonorrhoea through sexual contact, as extensively drug-resistant strains detected in Cambodia have spread as far afield as France and Australia. This is particularly worrying because Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to the antibiotics used to treat it, with only one last remaining recommended antibiotic, ceftriaxone, available. With a growing number of cases that are resistant even to this, gonorrhoea is in danger of becoming one of the first diseases to be no longer treatable.
While this is also happening with other drug-resistant bacteria, it is often not until they reach hospitals that they are detected. But they are out there and spreading. A gene that renders bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics was first identified in the 1990s and quickly moved between countries until it became established all over the world within little more than a decade.
Drug-resistant infections can flourish and become entrenched in hospitals. But evidence now shows that drug-resistant infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired in everyday environments are also becoming more common – and more dangerous, particularly for vulnerable groups such as cancer patients. In LMICs, where outpatient care plays a larger role and infection prevention resources are limited, the risks amplify.
Large studies report high rates of drug-resistant infections among cancer patients receiving outpatient care, with infections such as pneumonia occurring far more frequently and carrying a significant risk of death... (MORE - details)