Guardian Australia, Wed 17 Mar 2021 03.30 AEDT
GPs have been urged not to test gay men for one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections unless they have symptoms, with new research from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre warning that treating asymptomatic men is accelerating its resistance to antibiotics.
Many general practitioners have begun testing for Mycoplasma Genitalium as part of routine STI screenings, despite current guidelines not recommending screening asymptomatic men who only have sex with men. The guidelines were put in place in response to concerns MG was an emerging superbug resistant to antibiotics, and treating asymptomatic people, while reducing the overall prevalence of MG, would make the STI more resistant to antibiotics treatment more quickly.