British scientists may have paved the way for a jab that protects againt drug-resistant gonorrhoea.
Experts are on the hunt for a vaccine for the sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
Strains of the bug have adapted so that the antibiotics medics use to routinely treat them are less effective, effectively becoming untreatable, with potentially life-changing consequences.
While no gonorrhoea jabs have yet been developed, experts have had some success with vaccines for a related bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis, which previous trials showed help people fend off the infection.
In the new study, carried out by Oxford and Manchester universities, experts worked with 50 sex workers in Kenya, due to their high gonorrhoea risk, to examine their immune response to the Nm vaccine.
Experts are on the hunt for a vaccine for the sexually transmitted disease (STD), caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) as drug resistant forms of the bacteria continue to spread, including in the UK. Pictured: A graphical representation of the Ng bacteria
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The aim was to unpick which antigens — the body’s fighter proteins — generated by the Nm vaccine work against gonorrhoea.
Analysis from blood samples taken from the sex workers revealed that antigens specifically targetted tiny structures on the surface of gonorrhoea cells.
While the Nm vaccine currently has limited effectiveness against gonorrhoea, the experts say further refining it could lead to the development of a more effective jab.
Project lead Professor Chris Tang, an expert of pathology at Oxford, described his work as, ‘an important step along the road to developing gonorrhoea vaccines’.
Professor Jeremy Derrick, and expert of biological sciences at Manchester, added they hoped the method could also be used for other infections that are also becoming increasingly resistant to routine medications.
‘We hope that the application of these technologies will enable progress towards vaccines against other pathogens.’
Their study comes after health chiefs warned cases of gonorrhoea have hit a record high in England, amid growing fears of a drug-resistant strain.
Over 85,000 gonorrhoea diagnoses were reported in England last year, the highest number since records began in 1918.
A type that poses a ‘particular threat’ is ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea, the UKHSA said.
Ceftriaxone is the ‘first line’ antibiotic used to treat gonorrhoea in England and so resistance to the drug can make treatment difficult.
Between June 2022 and May 2024, 15 ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea cases were detected in England, including five that were ‘extensively drug-resistant’, meaning resistant to both first- and second-line treatment options and to other antibiotics.
Until 2022, only nine cases had been detected in England in total.
In the new study, carried out by Oxford and Manchester universities, experts worked with 50 sex workers in Kenya, due to their high gonorrhoea risk, to examine their immune response to the Neisseria meningitidis vaccine
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To date, all detected cases have been among heterosexuals, mostly in their 20s, and most acquired the infection abroad.
There has been limited transmission within England, but the UK Health Security Agency said the increasing number of cases in recent years is ‘concerning’ as it raises the chance of ‘wider spread and treatment challenges’.
Experts are now urging Brits who have condomless sex with new or casual partners to get tested.
Gonorrhoea is usually spread through contact with infected sexual fluids. The bacteria can infect the cervix, urethra, rectum, throat or eyes.
It is typically passed through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, as well as the sharing of sex toys similarly used without a condom.
Symptoms of gonorrhoea usually develop within two weeks of infections and include unusual discharge from the genitals and a burning sensation when urinating.
But experts warn one in 10 men and half of women will not experience any obvious symptoms, meaning they can be silent spreaders of the STI.
Left untreated it can cause infertility and, although rare, life-threatening sepsis.
