Experts say the emergence of the drug-resistant strain is due to poorly controlled access to and overuse of antibiotics, which encourages bacteria to evolve to withstand the drugs. The Guardian: Francis Ndowa, formerly the WHO’s lead specialist for sexually transmitted infections, said gonorrhoea had not only adapted to elude antibiotics but had developed less painful symptoms, increasing its survival chances. “They used to say that if you have urethral gonorrhoea and you go to the toilet to pass urine, it would be like passing razor blades. It was that painful,” he explained. “Now people with gonorrhoea sometimes … only notice the discharge if they look when they pass urine. It’s not that painful any more. “So the organism has re-adjusted itself to provide fewer symptoms so that it can survive longer. It’s an amazing interaction between man and pathogen.”
via Gonorrhea ‘Superbugs’ Tearing Path Across the Globe – Truthdig.
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