Antibiotic

Gonorrhoea was once easily treated with the antibiotic penicillin. However, many resistant strains of the bacterium have appeared. A strain is a type within a species of microorganism; a resistant strain can survive an antibiotic that would normally kill it or stop its growth.

Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or prevent them from reproducing. They target bacterial structures or processes and are not effective against viruses. For example, penicillin interferes with the building of bacterial cell walls, so susceptible bacterial cells may rupture as they grow.