Is Gonorrhea turning into a Superbug?

A worrying new study has found that the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea has become more resistant to an antibiotic.

It’s something the medical community has long feared: a serious infectious disease appears to be gaining an immunity to a certain antibiotic.

The sexually transmitted disease known as gonorrhea has gained a resistance to the antibiotic treatment cefixime, based on new findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that indicate it has less effectiveness last year against the disease, according to a HealthDay News report. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

It’s no reason to panic yet, as cefixime isn’t even the primary drug for treating gonorrhea, but it is a worrying sign. The preferred treatment is a ceftriaxone-based combination therapy, with cefixime only advised for use when that isn’t available.

Lead study author Dr. Robert Kirkcaldy of the CDC’s STD prevention division in Atlanta said: “It is essential to continue monitoring antimicrobial susceptibility and track patterns of resistance among the antibiotics currently used to treat gonorrhea. … Recent increases in cefixime resistance show our work is far from over.”

Gonorrhea is an STD that is spread during unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex. It is most prevalent in those ages 15 through 24.

Symptoms often aren’t present, but when they are, they can include a burning sensation when urinating, swollen testicles, and a discolored discharge from the penis in the case of men. Women may experience vaginal discharge and bleeding between periods, with soreness and painful bowel movements. It can lead to serious complications down the road if untreated, including chronic pain in the pelvis and infertility. In some cases, it can spread into the blood or the joints.

Antibiotics have been found to be an effective treatment against the disease.

A total of 51,000 samples were gathered for this study, which included people in 34 cities. Cefixime had been a primary treatment option until the CDC recommended in 2012 to focus on the combination therapy. Over that period, the resistance to cefixime increased from 0.1 percent to 1.4 percent in 2011, before declining to 0.4 percent in 2013, but rebounding to 0.8 percent in 2014.

It’s worrying sign because trends of cefixime often herald trends in ceftriaxone, so scientists will be watching this development closely.