CDC recommends new gonorrhea treatment for gay men

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that doctors switch to a different drug to treat gonorrhea among gay and bisexual men. The drug Cipro--long the standard treatment for the sexually transmitted disease--no longer should be used as a first-line drug for men who have sex with men because of the rise of drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea among gay and bisexual men. Nearly one out of 20 gonorrhea cases among gay and bisexual men are resistant to Cipro. The CDC is now recommending antibiotics such as ceftriaxone or cefixime to treat the disease. Ceftriaxone is less convenient than Cipro tablets because it must be given as a shot, and cefixime is no longer made in the United States, the CDC said. Cipro remains the frontline treatment for heterosexuals with gonorrhea, health officials said, because drug-resistant strains are rare in that group. Nearly 80% of gonorrhea cases occur in straight men and women. The CDC warns that drug-resistant strains in straight men and women are "likely to increase over time and already might be high enough in some areas to warrant new local treatment recommendations." (AP)