Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea, is an ancient disease with biblical references.1 Despite ongoing efforts towards treatment and prevention, gonorrhoea remains a major public health problem worldwide with an estimated global incidence of 106 million cases/year,2 leading to direct and indirect costs that exceed $1 billion/year in the USA alone.3 The clinical outcomes of gonococcal infection range from asymptomatic infection to severe sequelae (reviewed in refs. 4, 5). Symptomatic infection typically presents as urethritis in males and cervicitis in females; however, mucosal infections of the rectum, pharynx and eye are also reported. In addition, asymptomatic infections occur in 50–80% of infected females and 1%–40% of infected males, which, if left undiagnosed or untreated, can lead to sequelae that include urogenital tract abscesses, pelvic inflammatory disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, infertility and neonatal complications. Infection with N. gonorrhoeae also increases the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV.