UNITED KINGDOM — A woman in the United Kingdom was diagnosed with a rare, flesh-eating sexually transmitted disease which can cause “beefy red” lesions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The woman, who is between 15- and 25-years-old, was treated for Donovanosis (granuloma inguinale) in the past 12 months, Newsweek reported. The unnamed woman lives in Southport, England.
The infection typically occurs in the genital area but can also appear around the nose, mouth and chest. It typically develops as ulcers and easily bleeds when touched.
RELATED: Colorado ranked middle of the road for STDs; NM in top 5
Symptoms show up one to 12 weeks after the infection is first contracted and if left untreated, the condition can cause “genital mutilation,” the Journal of Sexually Transmitted Infections reported.
There are 100 cases reported in the United States per year, according to MedlinePlus. Most of the cases occurred in people who traveled from tropical and subtropical areas such as India, Guyana and New Guinea.
"Donovanosis causes nasty genital ulcers to grow and spread, before flesh in the groin region starts to eat itself," Liverpool Echo reported.
If left untreated, the STD can cause flesh “to literally rot away,” pharmacist Shamir Patel told Liverpool Echo. He also described it as being “very rare and nasty.”