Understanding Gonorrhea: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Healthcare providers can inform patients about the risks of repeat infections, including antibiotic resistance and impacts on public health, alongside diagnosing and treating the infection.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, often spreads through sexual contact, but can sometimes be transmitted nonsexually as well.

Gonorrhea can be asymptomatic in many people, leading individuals to unknowingly spread the infection without showing symptoms themselves.

In females, symptoms can include vaginal irritation, itching, abnormal vaginal discharge, intermenstrual bleeding, dysurua, urgency, and frequency during urination.

PID is an infection that ascends into the female reproductive tract, often caused by untreated gonorrhea, and can lead to scarring, infertility, or ectopic pregnancy.

Symptoms in males can include urethral discharge, often mucopurulent, dysuria, and possibly pain and swelling in the testicles if the infection ascends to the epididymis.

Yes, gonorrhea can infect the rectum, throat, and eyes, potentially causing rectal pain, sore throat, or conjunctivitis.

Testing, such as the nucleic acid amplification test, is crucial for confirming diagnosis, guiding treatment, and catching asymptomatic cases to reduce the spread and complications.

The first line treatment for gonorrhea is the antibiotic ceftriaxone, given as a 500 mg intramuscular injection.

There is increasing concern over antibiotic resistance, as some strains of gonorrhea have developed resistance to ceftriaxone and other antibiotics.

Bacteria can alter cell wall permeability, develop cellular pumps to expel antibiotics, alter antibiotic targets, produce enzymes that break down antibiotics, and share resistance genes with other bacteria.

Using protection like condoms, getting tested when appropriate, and being aware of the infection status can help reduce the spread of gonorrhea.

Individuals with repeated infections can contribute to the spread of gonorrhea and the development and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant strains.

Healthcare providers can inform patients about the risks of repeat infections, including antibiotic resistance and impacts on public health, alongside diagnosing and treating the infection.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, often spreads through sexual contact, but can sometimes be transmitted nonsexually as well.