Antibiotic resistance putting 'super gonorrhea' at untreatability risk

An outbreak of a new strain of 'super gonorrhoea,' which is making the disease resistant to antibiotics, has led experts to warn about the risk of "untreatability."

The outbreak of the sexually transmitted disease began in Leeds, with other cases having been reported in Oldham, Macclesfield and Scunthorpe. Some patients reported having sexual partners from other areas of England, the Independent reported.

All cases to date have been transmitted through heterosexual intercourse.

Usually, gonorrhea can be treated by taking two different antibiotics simultaneously: ceftriaxone and azithromycin. The new strain is resistant to the azithromycin component of the treatment and is therefore currently untreatable.

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has written to GPs and pharmacists to ensure that they are prescribing the correct drugs.

In March, the BBC reported that only one half of the treatment was being sold to the patients by some online pharmacies.