One-night stand in Far East gives British man ‘world’s worst super-gonorrhoea’

A BRITON has contracted the “world’s worst ever” case of super-gonorrhoea, health authorities have disclosed, as they announce measures to prevent the disease spreading.

Public Health England (PHE) said it was the first instance of the infection, contracted after a sexual encounter with a woman in south-east Asia, not being cured by an antibiotic of first choice. The main antibiotic combination treatment, which involves azithromycin and ceftriaxone, failed to cure the infection. Doctors hope that one final antibiotic combination might work.

The man had a regular partner in the UK – who is in the clear – and health officials are now trying to trace any other sexual partners in a bid to contain the spread of the disease, caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Roughly one in 10 men and more than three quarters of women show no recognisable symptoms when infected with the disease. Dr Gwenda Hughes, from PHE, said: “This is the first time a case has displayed such high-level resistance to both of these drugs and to most other commonly used antibiotics. We are following up this case to ensure that the infection was effectively treated with other options and the risk of any onward transmission is minimised.

“PHE actively monitors, and acts on, the spread of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhoea and potential treatment failures, and has introduced enhanced surveillance to identify and manage resistant strains of infection promptly to help reduce further spread.”

Discussions with the World Health Organisation and the European Centres for Disease Control agree this is a world first. The man will know by next month whether he has been cured and so far, no other cases have been found.

Resistance to antibiotics is one of the gravest threats facing healthcare across the world.

In 2016, a Government-commissioned report warned that if drastic steps were not taken to curb the irresponsible use of antibiotics, medicine could “return to the Dark Ages”, with everyday drugs used for curing common complaints and preventing infections following surgery made obsolete.

Dr Olwen Williams, the president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV said: “The emergence of this new strain of highly resistant gonorrhoea is of huge concern and is a significant development.

“We are concerned that the problem will worsen due to the dramatic cuts in the public health budget.

“Worryingly, this has left sexual health services at tipping point.”

‘This is the first time a case has displayed such high-level resistance to ... commonly used antibiotics’