ECDC: on Air - Episode 78 - Risk Wire - Otilia Mårdh - When Gonorrhoea Fights Back

Gonorrhoea remains treatable, but growing antibiotic resistance is making some infections harder to treat. What happens when the antibiotics we rely on stop working? In this episode of ECDC: On Air - Risk Wire, Otilia Mårdh, ECDC expert on sexually transmitted infections, explains why drug-resistant gonorrhoea is a growing concern in Europe and what recent evidence of local transmission means. We look at how gonorrhoea develops resistance to antibiotics, what multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains actually mean, and how surveillance helps keep treatment recommendations effective. ------------- In this episode: Why gonorrhoea is particularly good at developing antibiotic resistance What has changed with drug-resistant gonorrhoea in Europe What multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant gonorrhoea mean Whether gonorrhoea could become untreatable How testing, treatment and prevention can help preserve effective antibiotics Why surveillance and research remain essential ------------- The takeaway is simple: test, treat, prevent. ------------- Find out more about gonorrhoea, antimicrobial resistance and ECDC’s latest risk assessment here: https://bit.ly/4dk88GW ------------- Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:27 - What is gonorrhoea? 03:20 - How gonorrhoea spreads 05:38 - Symptoms and complications 08:48 - When to get tested 10:32 - Is gonorrhoea treatable? 12:27 - How to prevent gonorrhoea 14:20 - Drug-resistant gonorrhoea in Europe 17:01 - Why ECDC issued the risk assessment 18:01 - Why gonorrhoea develops antibiotic resistance 20:24 - How Europe monitors resistance 21:36 - Multidrug and extensively drug-resistant gonorrhoea 23:47 - Could gonorrhoea become untreatable? 25:43 - New antibiotics and future treatments 26:47 - Keeping gonorrhoea treatable 27:43 - Prevent, test and treat 28:51 - Outro ------------- #Gonorrhoea #AntimicrobialResistance #SexualHealth #STI #ECDC