Sometimes an eye medicine works against a sex bacteria

About the episode

Mycoplasma genitalium is a bacteria that can be transmitted through sexual contact. So an STD. Usually the infection goes away on its own, but it can cause inflammation in the urethra in men. In some people, the infection also keeps coming back.

According to British researchers, this is becoming more common because the bacteria is becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs used against it and it would be good if there were new options for treatments.

Well, a young man presented with two-day-old symptoms of this infection. They appeared two weeks after having unprotected sex with a casual sex partner. Three different antibiotics were tried, but nothing helped.

Evidence had already been seen in the lab that an antibiotic in tablet form used for eye infections may also be able to deal with this bacteria, so that was the fourth drug to be tried. So a bit of a gamble. But sure enough: the inflammation disappeared from his urethra within two weeks.

Yes: this was successful in one case, with one variant of this bacterial infection and a specific type of drug. So let’s not smear random eye medication on genitals en masse. But the researchers are enthusiastic about the find and hope that – after a lot of follow-up research – they will have a new weapon in the fight against this sex bacterium. Sometimes the solution is in the corner of your eye.

Read more about the research here: Common eye infection antibiotic tablet may clear up treatment-resistant sex bug.