A vaccine to prevent multidrug-resistant gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that affects both women and men, regardless of their sexuality. The bacterium causing the disease is increasingly resistant to antibiotics available on the market, thereby complicating patient care. Would an already existing vaccine be the solution to limit infections?

For a few yearsthe diagnoses of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection, are on the rise. The problem is that the bacteria causing the disease, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (or gonococcus), is become resistant to antibiotics cheapest and most common. Only third-generation cephalosporins (Ceftriaxone) can overcome it, although strains recalcitrant to this treatment are already beginning to appear. This complicates the management of infected people who can develop serious complications, led by infertility both in men and in women.

Faced with this observation, preventing infections as much as possible seems to be the simplest solution. If there is no vaccine specific to gonorrhea, the one formulated against meningococcusanother bacterium of the family Neisseria, could prevent infection. A series of studies published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and carried out by the CDC detail the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing gonorrhea in a young population, but also the impact of its use in matter cost and public health.

A vaccine to reduce the burden of gonorrhea

The results presented in The Lancet come from an experiment taking place in Australia where a vaccine strategy against meningococcal meningitis – leading cause of meningitis – in children and teenagers between 2018 and 2019 has been implemented. Injection of two doses of 4CMenB vaccine significantly reduced theimpact disease, but also that of gonorrhea. The 4CMenB vaccine is 32.7% effective against gonococcus after complete vaccination. A second studybased on data from New York and Philadelphia and which links the diagnosis of gonorrhea and the person’s vaccination status, indicates that two doses of 4CMenB protect 40% against infection, while a single dose protects 26%.

An efficiency that may seem low, but which could significantly reduce the number of cases with the right strategy. In a third article published in The Lancetscientists estimate that by vaccinating people according to their risk of being infected, 110,200 cases could be prevented for £7.9 million (about 2 million euros) in healthcare costs saved on 10 years.