British scientists may have paved the way for a vaccine that protects against drug-resistant gonorrhea.
Experts are searching for a vaccine against the sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
Strains of the virus have adapted so that the antibiotics doctors routinely use to treat them are less effective, effectively becoming untreatable, with potentially life-changing consequences.
While no vaccines have yet been developed for gonorrhea, experts have had some success with vaccines for a related bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis, which earlier trials have shown helps people fight off the infection.
In the new study, conducted by the universities of Oxford and Manchester, experts worked with 50 sex workers in Kenya, due to their high risk of gonorrhea, to examine their immune response to the Nm vaccine.
Experts are searching for a vaccine against the sexually transmitted disease (STI), caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng), as drug-resistant forms of the bacteria continue to spread, including in the UK. Pictured: A graphic representation of the Ng bacteria
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The goal was to find out which antigens (the body’s own fighting proteins) generated by the Nm vaccine work against gonorrhea.
Analysis of blood samples taken from the sex workers revealed that the antigens were specifically directed small structures on the surface of gonorrhea cells.
While the Nm vaccine currently has limited efficacy against gonorrhea, experts say further refinement could lead to the development of a more effective shot.
Professor Chris Tang, the project leader and an Oxford pathology expert, described their work as “an important step on the road to developing vaccines against gonorrhoea”.
Professor Jeremy Derrick, a biological sciences expert from Manchester, added that they hope the method could also be used for other infections that are also becoming increasingly resistant to routine drugs.
“We hope that the application of these technologies will allow progress towards vaccines against other pathogens.”
Their study comes after health chiefs warned that gonorrhoea cases have hit a record high in England amid growing fears of a drug-resistant strain.
More than 85,000 gonorrhoea diagnoses were reported in England last year, the highest number since records began in 1918.
One type that poses a “particular threat” is ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea, the UKHSA said.
Ceftriaxone is the “first-line” antibiotic used to treat gonorrhea in England, so resistance to the drug can make treatment difficult.
Between June 2022 and May 2024, 15 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea were detected in England, including five that were “extensively drug-resistant” – that is, resistant to first- and second-line treatment options and other antibiotics.
As of 2022, only nine cases in total had been detected in England.
In the new study, conducted by the universities of Oxford and Manchester, experts worked with 50 sex workers in Kenya, due to their high risk of gonorrhea, 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 twenties, and most acquired the infection abroad.
There has been limited transmission within England, but the UK’s Health Security Agency said the rising number of cases in recent years is “worrying” as it raises the possibility of “wider spread and challenges in treatment.”
Experts are now urging Britons who have condomless sex with new or casual partners to get tested.
Gonorrhea is usually transmitted through contact with infected sexual fluids. The bacteria can infect the cervix, urethra, rectum, throat, or eyes.
It is usually transmitted through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, as well as by sharing sex toys used in a similar way without a condom.
Symptoms of gonorrhea usually develop within two weeks of infection and include unusual discharge from the genitals and a burning sensation when urinating.
But experts warn that one in 10 men and half of women will not experience any obvious symptoms, meaning they may be silent transmitters of the STI.
If left untreated, it can cause infertility and, although rare, potentially fatal sepsis.
