What Is Gonorrhea? -- An Overview
Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.
How Is Gonorrhea Transmitted?
Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans.
What Are Gonorrhea Symptoms?
In most cases,
signs and symptoms of gonorrhea will appear within 2 to 10 days after exposure to an infected partner. However, many women who have gonorrhea do not have symptoms. When a woman does have signs and
symptoms of gonorrhea, they usually appear within 10 days after infection. Although many men with gonorrhea may not have any symptoms, some will have
gonorrhea symptoms that appear 2 to 5 days after infection.
How Is Gonorrhea Diagnosed?
- Staining samples directly for the bacterium
- Detecting bacterial genes or DNA in the urine
- Growing the bacteria in laboratory cultures.
The staining sample test works better for
diagnosing gonorrhea in men than in women, and the gene test is more accurate than culturing the bacteria.
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