Rare flesh-eating STI that causes genitals to erupt and rot diagnosed in UK

A rare sexually transmitted infection (STI) that causes sufferer’s genitals to erupt and rot has been diagnosed in a woman from Southport, Merseyside.

According to a report in The Sun, while the infection is usually found in tropical locations, such as Guyana, donovanosis causes ulcers to grow and spread on a person's intimate region, before the flesh of the genitals starts to eat itself, this is one of the rare times it was recorded in UK.

According to a freedom of information (FOI) request, the STI was diagnosed within the past year in an unnamed woman aged between 15 and 25 years old.

According to experts, skin-on-skin contact between a person and a bleeding ulcer is all it takes to pass on donovanosis. Untreated, the ulcers destroy genital tissue, which can cause permanent damage, scarring and discolouration.

The Institute of Sexual Health says that just a few dozen cases of donovanosis occur in UK each year.

While it is unclear how the woman contact the STI, it usually involves having unprotected sex.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, pharmacist Shamir Patel, from Chemist 4 U, which submitted the FOI request said that bacteria that cause the disease, known as klebsiella granulomatis, infect the skin around the genitals, groin or anal area and causes lesions and skin disintegration as the flesh effectively consumes itself.'

Although donovanosis is treatable via antibiotics, Patel stressed upon the need for timely intervention.