A New Way to Test for Sexually Transmitted Infections

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing two tests to detect the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia and gonorrhea, through diagnostic testing of extragenital specimens. The Aptima Combo 2 Assay and the Xpert CT/NG are the first devices cleared for extragenital diagnostic testing of these infections via the throat and rectum, the… Continue reading A New Way to Test for Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Increasing Sharply

Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017, according to preliminary statistics released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) This surpassed the previous record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases and marked the fourth consecutive year of sharp increases in… Continue reading Sexually Transmitted Diseases Increasing Sharply

Battling A Sexually Transmitted Superbug

Every year, more than 100 million people worldwide develop the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea, with health consequences such as infertility, transmission of the disease to newborn babies, and increased risk of HIV infections. Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria which can rapidly develop resistance to all known antibiotics; the bacteria are commonly called superbugs. Gonorrhea superbugs… Continue reading Battling A Sexually Transmitted Superbug

Researchers Take an Important Step Toward a Gonorrhea Vaccine

Researchers at Oregon State University in Corvallis and Purdue University are paving the way toward a new therapeutic approach for gonorrhea by shedding light on the mechanism behind important proteins on the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria’s outer membrane. The findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in February 2018. The National Institutes of Health… Continue reading Researchers Take an Important Step Toward a Gonorrhea Vaccine

Gonorrhea: What You Need to Know Today

Gonorrhea, a bacterial STI caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and colloquially called “The Clap”, is currently the second most common STI after Chlamydia. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on July 7th 2017 that antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is on the rise and that new drugs are needed. The drugs that used to be effective are Rocephin,… Continue reading Gonorrhea: What You Need to Know Today