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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffGonorrhea is a sexually transmitted bacterium that can infect men and women. Gonorrhea can affect the urethra, rectum and throat of both men and women. In women, gonorrhea can also infect the cervix.
Most people contract gonorrhea during sex. But pregnant women with gonorrhea can also pass the bacterium onto their babies. In babies, gonorrhea most commonly affects the eyes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that about 700,000 people contract gonorrhea each year in the United States. Many don't know they have gonorrhea. You can protect yourself from gonorrhea by abstaining from sex or by using a condom if you choose to have sex.
- Handsfield HH, et al. Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2005:2514..
- Gonorrhea - CDC fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/STDFact-gonorrhea.htm. Accessed Nov. 11, 2008.
- del Rio C, et al. Update to CDC's "Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2006:" Fluoroquinolones no longer recommended for treatment of gonococcal infections. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. 2007;56:332.
- Swygard H, et al. Patient information: Gonorrhea. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed Nov. 19, 2008.
- Workowski KA, et al. Emerging antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Urgent need to strengthen prevention strategies. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2008;148:606.
- Holder NA. Gonococcal infections. Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:228.
- Screening for gonorrhea: Recommendation statement. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf05/gonorrhea/gonrs.htm. Accessed Nov. 24, 2008.
