Question

1. Discuss the ethical dilemmas around not having a suitable animal host to study N. gonnorhoeae. Do you agree with the scientists testing various theories about gonorrhea on themselves? How about using human subjects for gonorrhea research?

Answer 1

Neisseria gonorrhea can only interact with human forms of many molecules. This reason and also the fact that it needs a rich amount of oxygen and nutrients for replication and survival, makes it a obligate human pathogen, or it needs human host to survive. Thus there is no other host to study N. gonorrhea.

Ethical factors affecting this property is that for the research of properties exhibited by these micro organisms and for developing drugs and vaccines against it, human subjects are necessary. And basic interaction study and initial understanding of the microorganisms through animal hosts are not there. This is an injustice to the human subject or an unethical way of research as the basic reaction of them in humans are totally unpredictable and may cause severe harm to the subject.

Scientists testing on themselves is something which I cannot agree with. The reason is that first and foremost no basis of reactions of these bacterias are available so many things can go wrong. Also, being infected with these viruses and unable to treat them would lead to further transmission of these bacterias from one person to another, which is unacceptable. So, as these self testing possess a serious threat to oneself and to other people in the society, I diagree with it.

Human subjects for gonorrhea research also is tbe same as that of self testing by scientists. These can create problems in the body of test subjects and also is danger to their peers. So it's highly unacceptable.

A better thing which can be done in this aspect is, using the persons who has already contracted the disease as test subjects. This would reduce the extra transmission which happens due to inoculation in to the new body and it's threat to the same and different individuals around it.