Curable STDs - Infections

Gonorrhea (popular names: the clap, the drip, the dose)

Some specimens of the bacterium causing gonorrhea (lat. Neisseria gonorrheae)

1. What is it?
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection, usually of the sex organs, but, depending on the type of sexual contact, it can also affect the mouth, the throat and/or the rectum. Many infected females have no symptoms but can transmit the disease to others. If untreated, it can lead to serious health problems.

2. What causes it?
Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium known as gonococcus (plural: gonococci). Its scientific name is Neisseria gonorrheae in reference to the German dermatologist Albert Neisser who discovered it in 1879.

3. How is it transmitted?
Gonorrhea can be transmitted through vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse. Correspondingly, it can affect the penis and/or the vagina, the throat, the rectum and lower intestines. It can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth.