Sexually transmitted disease

New active ingredient prevents chlamydia infection

Chlamydia is usually transmitted during unprotected sexual intercourse.(Bild: Tatiana Shepeleva/stock.adobe.com)

Despite the sharp rise in sexually transmitted diseases in recent years, there is currently no vaccine available against widespread pathogens such as chlamydia. However, researchers at MedUni Vienna have now identified a new active substance that can even prevent infection.

Chlamydia is a bacterium that causes inflammation - most commonly in the mucous membranes of the urethra, cervix and rectum. However, they can also occur in the throat. In the search for ways to prevent this infection (and possibly other bacterial sexually transmitted diseases), a research team from MedUni Vienna and the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine has now identified a substance called pentamidine as a promising candidate.

The study was recently published in the journal "Cell Reports Medicine". In order to find previously unknown substances for the treatment of chlamydial infections, the team led by Prof. Dr. Georg Stary (Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna) searched through a compilation of 2200 active substances. While 28 of them significantly reduced the growth of chlamydia, pentamidine was even able to prevent infection.

"It has also been shown to be effective even at very low concentrations," reports study leader Prof. Georg Stary. According to the tests, the substance also blocks the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the pathogen that causes gonorrhea. Beneficial lactobacilli (lactic acid bacteria) as representatives of the vaginal flora, on the other hand, were able to continue to multiply, demonstrating good tolerance.