When gonorrhoea is resistant to one of two antibiotics recommended to treat it, it is known as super gonorrhoea.
All types of gonorrhoea – historically called ‘the clap’ – are caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
The sexually transmitted infection (STI) is becoming increasing difficult to treat, able to fight off three common drugs.
It comes amid a soar in cases – there were almost 45,000 diagnoses in England in 2017, a rise of 22 per cent in one year, figures show.
There is a rise from 33.7 per cent in 2016.
In March last year, the ‘worst case ever’ of super-gonorrhoea was detected in a British man after he had sex with a south-eastern Asian woman.
Laboratory tests revealed the Brit had high resistance to both ceftriaxone and azithromycin. He was eventually treated with ertapenem.
Analysis of STI data around the world previously revealed 97 per cent of countries have reported strains of gonorrhoea that are resistant to ciprofloxacin.
Since then, health officials have urged people to remember to use condoms.
But in recent years, it has been revealed that throats act as a ‘silent reservoir’ for gonorrhoea.
The number of gonnorrhoea cases has risen alongside other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and chlamydia.