IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MEDICINES: A ROADMAP TO TREAT MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT GONORRHOEAENEHA, PAMELA SINGH, MEHVASH ZAKI, AWAZ HAIRAT AND SUBOOT HAIRATAbstract The gram negative human specific bacteria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae is responsible for the spread of sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoeae. It is present globally and affecting all types of societies. Over the years, gonorrhoeae have shown exceptional flexibility in acquiring resistance against most of the antibiotics used for its treatment. At present, the first-line of therapy recommended in majority of the countries is ceftriaxone. However, recent reports have suggested emergence of resistance towards this drug, especially the ceftriaxone-resistant FC428 clone. The observed resistance in N. gonorrhoeae towards most antibiotics is either due to plasmid induced resistance or genomic mutation induced resistance. Moreover, the presence of multidrug efflux pump enhances the resistance of the N. gonorrhoeae towards a variety of drugs. To slow down the emergence of resistance towards the currently used ceftriaxone for the treatment of gonorrhoeae, the dual therapy of ceftriaxone along with azithromycin is recommended. Still, the future emergence of resistance towards both the drugs cannot be ruled out. Hence, identification and clinical trials of novel compounds is urgently required. Although, a number of compounds have been identified and clinical trials have been carried out, but all of the compounds have shown some level of inferiority relative to the currently used monotherapy drug ceftriazone or dual therapy drug ceftriaxone with azithromycin, especially for the treatment of pharyngeal infection. The present review focusses on the history of the antibiotics used for the treatment of gonorrhoeae, the mechanism of resistance towards the different drugs along with the identification of novel compounds for the future treatment of gonorrhoeae. |