Neisseria gonorrhea Infection: 5 Questions on New WHO Treatment Guidelines
1. Which of the statements above is true?
Answer: D. Both B and C. According to the WHO, gonorrhea is the second leading bacterial STI worldwide, with 78 million cases diagnosed in 2012.In the US, the CDC states it is the second most commonly reported communicable disease.
2. True or False: In adults and teens with gonococcal oropharyngeal infections, WHO recommends monotherapy as first-line, followed by dual therapy in cases of drug failure.
Answer: B. False. In adults and teens with gonococcal oropharyngeal infections, WHO guidelines recommend dual therapy over monotherapy.
3. Which of the agents above can be used as single therapy for initial treatment of gonococcal oropharyngeal infections?
Answer: D. Ceftriaxone. When single therapy is used to treat gonococcal oropharyngeal infection, WHO recommends treatment with a single dose of ceftriaxone 250 mg IM.
4. Which of the agents above is not recommended for treatment of genital and anorectal gonococcal infections?
Answer: C. Gentamicin. In absence of surveillance data, WHO does not currently recommend gentamicin or kanamycin for treatment of genital and anorectal gonococcal infections.
5. Which of the agents above is recommended for treating gonococcal infections after failure to respond to WHO-recommended dual therapy?
Answer D. A and C. If initial dual therapy fails, WHO recommends re-treatment of gonococcal infections with dual therapy as noted above.
In response to rapidly expanding patterns of antibiotic resistance worldwide, the World Health Organization in 2016 updated its guidelines for the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhea infection. The 2016 revisions to the 2003 guidelines reflect the imperative to prevent an infection with sometimes asymptomatic presentation and for which there is high-level resistance to previously recommended first-line treatment.Following are 5 questions for primary care providers on updated first- and second-line therapy for several types of gonococcal infections.
