Gonorrhea is also a curable sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a
bacterium which usually infects a man's urethra and a woman's cervix. Gonorrhea
is not limited to the sex organs. It can also infect the mouth or throat as a
result of oral sex. The rectum can be infected as well, either indirectly by
drainage from the vagina or cervix or directly due to anal sex.
Gonorrhea is much more
aggressive than Chlamydia and usually produces lots of pus and pain in men
though it may be silent for a while in women. A small number of people may be
infected for several months without showing symptoms.
Symptoms: In the early stages, 80% of infected women have no visible
signs of infection. When symptoms are evident, they appear two days to three
weeks after sexual contact with an infected partner. Symptomatic women usually
have a vaginal discharge and a recurring minor infection. Men usually exhibit
symptoms. These include a discharge from the penis and a severe burning
sensation during urination.
Complications: If left untreated,
gonorrhea can cause:
v pelvic
inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, crippling arthritis (Reiter's
syndrome), blindness in newborns (the eyes of newborns are always treated with
either silver nitrate or an antibiotic to protect them from this disease).
Gonorrhea is not limited to the sex organs. It can also infect the mouth or
throat as a result of oral
sex.
Testing:
A culture test detects gonorrhea. A sample of
discharge is obtained from the woman's cervix or the man's urethra. These
samples are tested later in a laboratory for the presence of the gonorrheal
bacteria's DNA .A new test that uses urine for a DNA PCR analysis also detects
the bacteria. The urine tests are as accurate or more so than culturing
the bacteria, and many doctors use them as does the US Military.
Treatment: Gonorrhea can be cured with penicillin or other
antibiotics. To avoid reinfection, all sexual partners must be treated. As with
other infections, however, complications resulting from gonorrhea, including
sterility, may not be reversible.
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