A Canadian physician says there鈥檚 a "real concern鈥� that doctors will run out of treatments for a common sexually transmitted disease, after a man in the U.K. was diagnosed with what鈥檚 been described as the worst case of 鈥渟uper gonorrhea.鈥�

the first case of gonorrhea that was resistant to a combination of antibiotics, azithromycin and ceftriaxone, typically used to treat the STD.

The man reportedly picked up the drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea from a sexual contact in Southeast Asia. The man is currently being treated with a last-hope antibiotic, and it鈥檚 not known yet whether that will work.

Dr. Andrew Morris, director of the Sinai Health System-University Health Network鈥檚 Antimicrobial Stewardship Programin Toronto, said that gonorrhea has been resisting various treatments, starting with penicillin, for decades.

鈥淕onorrhea is one of these germs that just seems to have this ready ability to develop resistance to almost anything we shoot at it,鈥� Dr. Morris told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Thursday.

Gonorrhea has become especially difficult to treat over the past five to 10 years, Dr. Morris said

鈥淭he real concern is that we will have nothing left to treat gonorrhea,鈥� he said.  鈥淲e鈥檙e really at our last line of antibiotics to treat gonorrhea.鈥�

has said that new drugs are urgently needed to treat gonorrhea, as data from 77 countries showed that the infection is now much harder, 鈥渁nd sometimes impossible,鈥� to treat. 

In 2015, 19,845 cases of gonorrhea were reported in Canada, representing a 65.4 per cent increase from 2010, according to a report published   The report said that males, adolescents and young adults represent the majority of gonorrhea cases.

Dr. Morris said that people with gonorrhea, especially women, often don鈥檛 have any symptoms and do not know they are infected.

When symptoms are present,

  • a burning sensation while urinating
  • vaginal, penile or anal discharge
  • genital itching
  • pain during sex
  • vaginal bleeding
  • painful or swollen testicles

Untreated gonorrhea can lead to infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease, among other health complications. It can also be passed on to infants during childbirth.

Dr. Morris said prevention of gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases is key. He urged Canadians to practise safe sex and seek medical care if they suspect they may have gonorrhea or other infections.