by M.J. Holliday

Created on: December 10, 2010

Gonorrhea is a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gonorrhea is also known as the clap.

In worldwide prevalence, gonorrhea is second only to chlamydia as a sexually-transmitted infection. In the United States, an estimated 700,000 people have gonorrhea. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about half the cases of gonorrhea in America are unreported.

Cause of Gonorrhea

The bacterium N. gonorrhoeae travels through blood, semen and saliva. The common cause of gonorrhea is vaginal, oral or anal sex with an infected partner. Infection can occur even without male ejaculation. Gonorrhea does not spread from toilet seats or other items used by infected individuals.

Men have about a 20% chance of contracting gonorrhea during a single act of vaginal sex with an infected woman. The risk of gonorrhea is higher during anal intercourse, either with men or women.

Comparatively, the risk of a woman contracting gonorrhea through a single incident of penile/vaginal sex is sixty to eighty percent. In general, women exhibit fewer symptoms than men, making the disease more difficult to recognize. A pregnant woman can transmit gonorrhea to her unborn baby.

In 30-60% percent of all cases, gonorrhea is asymptomatic, or may occur as undetected subclinical disease. In men specifically, ten percent of cases show no symptoms. Gonorrhea may exist without symptoms in the human body for many years.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in Men

In men, gonorrhea initially infects the urethra. Symptoms of gonorrhea can develop between two and thirty days after infection. Symptoms typically appear within four to six days.

Early symptoms of gonorrhea in men include:

• thick, yellow or greenish discharge from the penis (gleet)

• frequent urination

• pain or burning while urinating

• rarely, bleeding from the penis

The infection may move into the prostate, seminal vesicles (glands producing seminal fluid), and epididymis, causing pain and fever. The epididymis is the tube carrying semen from the testicles in preparation for ejaculation.

Rectal gonorrhea is the most contagious form of gonorrhea. Early symptoms of gonorrheal infection of the anus include:

• anal discharge

• pain or tenderness of the anus

• rectal itching

• pain while defecating

Gonorrhea of the mouth or throat can cause inflammation and pain in the throat tissues. In very rare cases, an oral gonorrhea infection may be transmitted to

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