Researchers warned gonorrhea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, which raises the risk of an untreatable strain of the sexually transmitted disease emerging, HealthDay News reported Thursday.

“We’re trying to stay a step ahead by putting these warnings and alerts out,” said Dr. Gail Bolan, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s division of sexually transmitted diseases prevention.

Gonorrhea is the second most common STD in America, following chlamydia, with more than 600,000 people contracting it annually. 

While drug-resistant gonorrhea isn’t a new phenomenon—resistant strains emerged during World War II, the 1980s and again in 2007—the problem today is that the third-generation cephalosporins used to treat the disease are the only remaining types of effective antibiotics recommended by the CDC.

And now, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the STD is showing resistance to these drugs.

“The point now, is that we are down to the last class of antibiotics that we know—that have been studied—to be effective in the treatment of gonorrhea,” Bolan said, adding that if a new resistant strain were to spread, “we have the potential of having no other antibiotics to turn to.”

Cephalosporin-resistant strains have been previously identified in Japan and the U.K., though the drugs still remain highly effective against most strains in the United States.

Patient vigilance and coordinated public health policies are needed for the U.S. to avoid the spread of cephalosporin-resistant strains, the researchers said.  

Gonorrhea is preventable with the use of condoms, Bolan said, but because the disease is often symptomless, it is also important to undergo routine medical examinations.

“And certainly if you’ve got symptoms, we’re concerned that you . . . get evaluated quickly,” Bolan added.

For women, symptoms include vaginal discharge, a burning sensation during urination and pain during intercourse. Symptoms for men include clear penile discharge, burning on urination and pain during defection.

Click here to read more the U.S. News and World Report.

last night and this morning, a lot of news organizations picked up the story that armadillos could spread leprosy. It turns out those slow-moving mammals that look like pointy turtles and often adorn Texas roads in pancake shape are actually carriers of a disease most of us associate with biblical times. And they can infect humans directly. Neat, right? the New England Journal of Medicine reported the news on Wednesday, and by this morning the humble armadillo had become the latest scourge of the American South.

but it's not the only animal that can get you sick. Plenty of far more common beasts carry surprisingly terrifying diseases, and some of them live right in our own cities and homes. Here are a few:

Cats: You can catch all kinds of things from your cuddly little kittens. the weirdest, scariest, and most common is toxoplasmosis. It's estimated that half the world's population carries this in a latent form, though it's hard to catch from cats unless you're pregnant or have a weak immune system. in its acute form it causes flu-like symptoms, and studies have shown it can control the minds of rats and possibly humans. if a cat scratches or bites you, you may also get cat scratch fever, which is an infection that causes a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and headache.

Horses: everybody loves horses, but did you know they can carry anthrax? the disease favored by terrorists and metal heads has an equine form that is worrisome enough that horse owners who have an animal die suddenly are urged to get rid of it immediately for fear of the disease. Apparently the spores can transfer to humans through the lungs or even skin contact.

Mice: Rare but deadly, the hantavirus carried by mice can cause the deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in humans. It's carried in mouse droppings, urine, and saliva, and found all over the United States. Early symptoms include fever, headache and muscle aches, evolving to coughing, shortness of breath, and maybe death.

Monkeys: less common in the United States, obviously, monkeys can carry some really weird diseases. in 2005, 126 people died in Angola in an epidemic of Marburg, also known green monkey disease. there haven't been any outbreaks in the United States, but a Colorado man was found with the disease after returning from Uganda in 2008. the symptoms are similar to ebola, including so-called ruby eyes and black vomit.

Rabbits: they are adorable, and can carry the bubonic plague. in 2005, a plague-infested rabbit was found outside of Denver. many rodents carry the disease, but you probably don't keep rats in a hutch outside your house. Symptoms of the plague include seizures, chills, fever, and swollen lymph glands.

Dogs: most famously, dogs can carry rabies. While most people get their pets vaccinated for the disease, some don't. the disease is transmitted through a bite, and its symptoms can be flu-like early on, leading to paralysis, lock-jaw, excessive saliva production, hallucination, paranoia and terror. As recently as 2010 there was a rabies outbreak among raccoons in New York's Central Park, and the Indonesian resort island of Bali has battled the disease in its dogs since about 2008.

We have long been cautioning about the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and the related risk of antibiotic resistance. Now, MedScape reports that use of hand sanitizers in place of washing up with soap and water is, specifically in nursing homes, a leading risk for the spread of Noroviruses.The information is based on a study just presented at Preventive Medicine 2011: Annual Meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine. the study was conducted by David Blaney, MD, PhD, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and sought to locate those “risk factors for widespread Norovirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in New England,” said MedScape.

The study strongly suggests that changes be made, noted MedScape, for instance, by either substituting soap for hand sanitizers or training nursing home staff in how to better use the products in order to prevent the spread of Norovirus.New England saw approximately 35 Norovirus outbreaks in the three years prior to the study period, with outbreaks increasing sharply to 54 and then 124 from 2006 to 2007, explained MedScape. Of interest, the spike corresponds to when two new Norovirus strains—GII.4 noroviruN: Minerva and Laurens—surfaced, added MedScape.

Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause swelling in the linings of both the stomach and intestines, according to the CDC. a highly contagious, severe gastrointestinal illness commonly referred to as the so-called “stomach flu,”

Norovirus spreads quickly and is transmitted easily from person to person through the vomit and feces of people who are sick with the illness; contact with only a few particles can make a person ill. People become infected by ingesting contaminated food or liquids; touching contaminated surfaces or objects, and then placing their hand in their mouth; and having direct contact with an infected person.

Norovirus can survive for weeks on surfaces at room temperature, is difficult to eliminate, and can only be killed with chorine bleach. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other preparations are not too effective and Norovirus are not helped with antibiotics.

Once infected, people may feel very sick and vomit many times a day. sometimes people are unable to drink enough liquids to replenish the liquids lost due to vomiting and diarrhea and can become dehydrated and require special medical attention.

According to the CDC, the symptoms of Norovirus also include “diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. sometimes people also have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. the illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. in most people the illness is self-limiting, with symptoms” lasting just one or two days. Diarrhea tends to afflict children; vomiting is typically found in adults. Symptoms can present anywhere from 12 hours to days later.

People are generally considered to be contagious from when they feel ill to about three days after their symptoms subside; however, the virus can still be active in their vomit or stool for two weeks or more.

Nursing home infections are widely known to be more common in long-term care facilities, pointed out MedScape, due to close or shared living quarters, incontinence issues, potential poor hygiene habits, and sharing toilets.