There are concerns that the ‘silent spreader’ sexually transmitted disease that causes infertility will evolve into a superbug.
Mycoplasma genitalium, also known as M. genitalium or M. gen, has shown resistance to all antibiotics ever used for treatment.
The STD was first discovered in London in the 1980s, but tests have been available only in the United States since 2019.
some research Although it suggests that only 1 in 100 adults in the United States are positive for M. gen, experts estimate that 1 in 5 will be infected with M. gen at some point in their lives.
Bacterial infections are associated with infertility, premature birth, miscarriage, cervical swelling, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
STIs have developed resistance to azithromycin, the most common antibiotics used to treat STIs, as well as quinolones, macrolides, and doxycyclines, raising concerns that they may become untreatable.
Alternatives are available, but they cause serious side effects and are not suitable for pregnant women. There are also signs that we are already becoming more tolerant of them.
There is also concern that M. gen will become more common as sexually transmitted infections overall surge in the United States. In 2021, he recorded 2.4 million to her 2.5 million infections in 2020, an all-time high in itself.
Superbugs are estimated to contribute to about 7 million deaths annually, and some experts warn they should be taken just as seriously as global warming.
Mycoplasma genitalium, also known as M. genitalium or M. gen, causes serious conditions such as infertility and is resistant to four antibiotics.It is estimated that 1 in 5 of her sexually active U.S. citizens will get the disease.
Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia in England, told DailyMail.com that M. gen has “the strongest evidence that it causes adverse health effects” of any strain of genital mycoplasma. Said he has
Also, STDs are “difficult to diagnose,” meaning they spread under the radar, he said.
“Infectious diseases are fairly common, and most infections do not cause adverse health effects, so it is not easy to do something about it.”
M. gen can cause genital pain, bleeding, swelling and even female infertility.
However, many people show no symptoms at all and can linger for years without realizing it.
It can be inherited through genital contact, such as unprotected vaginal or anal sex, or through mother-to-child transmission even before birth.
Women with M. gen had an almost two-fold increased risk of premature birth. Analysis of 10 studies Discovered in 2021.
In men, M. gen can cause urethritis, swelling, inflammation of the urethra, and painful urination, but further studies are needed to establish the long-term effects of M. gen infection.
It can also cause abnormal discharge in both men and women.
Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cell microbiology at the University of Reading, told DailyMail.com that it was “perfectly feasible” for M. gen to become completely resistant to antibiotics.
But he said that multiple drug-resistant strains are probably “off to some extent.”
He said “silent spreads” are a problem because people “don’t know to go and get tested and spread it to someone else.”
This means it will continue to become more prevalent, and doctors will continue to prescribe antibiotics to treat it, fostering antibiotic resistance and the possibility of M. gen.
Superbugs are estimated to kill 7 million people each year as co-infections or direct infections.
It comes at a time when sexually transmitted disease rates are skyrocketing across the board. Rates of chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, have been rising for more than 30 years.
M. gen., chlamydia, and gonorrhea can all be asymptomatic, meaning STIs can spread silently.Gonorrhea incidence peaked in the 1970s, but remains high
But last year, a large-scale study found it to be the leading underlying cause of 1.2 million deaths annually worldwide.
This makes the superbug a bigger global killer than AIDS or malaria, which killed 860,000 and 640,000 respectively that year. rice field.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend routine screening for M. gen.
Known as the Aptima nucleic acid amplification test, the test was only approved in 2019, so it hasn’t been widely deployed and doctors aren’t required to report cases of infection.
Patients are screened for M. gen only if symptoms persist and tests for other STIs are negative.
This means that there is no clear picture of how widespread M. gen is or who is most affected.
But Lisa Manhart, professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health, says M. gen can affect 20% of sexually active women and 17% of men between the ages of 15 and 24. he told NBC News.
In contrast, chlamydia is the most common STI in the United States, with 5% of sexually active women aged 14-24 having an STI.
If common antibiotics don’t work, doctors can use moxifloxacin.
This works, but causes serious side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, and vomiting.
This means that the treatment is not suitable for everyone, especially pregnant women.
Also, the more moxifloxacin is used to treat M. gen, the more likely it is that resistance to M. gen will develop.
Treatment options other than moxifloxacin are limited.
The CDC currently recommends testing for antibiotic resistance before deciding which drugs to take, but these tests are not approved by the FDA.
Only a handful of specialized research centers can test whether an infection is resistant to antibiotics.
Testing a widely available version, like any effective antibiotic, could take years.
Meanwhile, at a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meeting on Monday for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said the increase in STIs was “out of control.”
Although rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and syphilis, have been rising for years, syphilis cases hit their highest level since 1948 last year.
