U.S. medical officials are investigating the country's first two cases of a possible strain of super gonorrhea, which is reportedly showing signs of resistance to a bevy of antibiotics.
Both patients of the super gonorrhea strain are located in Massachusetts, which is also the likely source for contracting the disease, since neither resident had a recent history of outside travel, according to reports.
The two cases in Massachusetts, however, don't appear to be linked, reports the Daily Mail.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gonorrhea "has progressively developed resistance to the antibiotic drugs prescribed to treat it. Following the spread of gonococcal fluoroquinolone resistance, the cephalosporin antibiotics have been the foundation of recommended treatment for gonorrhea.
"The emergence of cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea would significantly complicate the ability of providers to treat gonorrhea successfully, since we have few antibiotic options left that are simple, well-studied, well-tolerated and highly effective. It is critical to continuously monitor resistance and encourage research and development of new treatment regimens."
The Daily Mail also reports that cases of super gonorrhea have previously been identified in Austria and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Margret Cooke, the head of Massachusetts' health department, recently characterized the super gonorrhea discovery as a "serious public health concern."
"We urge all sexually active people to be regularly tested for sexually transmitted infections and to consider reducing the number of their sexual partners and increasing their use of condoms when having sex," she said.
According to reports, gonorrhea is the second-most common sexually transmitted infection, or STI, in America, with approximately 700,000 new cases detected each year.
Gonorrhea typically causes a painful or burning sensation when urinating or an unpleasant vaginal discharge.
If left untreated, the infection can lead to "serious complications," according to reports, including infertility and potentially life-threatening pelvic inflammatory disease in women.
Also, gonorrhea has been linked to permanent blindness in newborns, the Daily Mail reports.
Gonorrhea cases are reportedly treated with an injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone. Patients may also "be offered antibiotics to take orally like azithromycin and doxycycline," the Daily Mail reports.
In Massachusetts, the first gonorrhea patient reportedly complained of urethritis, or inflammation of the urethra — "the tube that carries urine through the penis and outside the body."
After a battery of examinations, one patient test showed the super gonorrhea strain had a reduced susceptibility to this antibiotic, and was resistant to others used against the bacteria.
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