Gonorrhea – colloquially called gonorrhea – (synonyms: clap; gonococcus; ICD-10-GM A54.-: gonococcal infection) is a sexually transmitted disease that primarily affects the urinary tract and genital organs. It is caused by the gram-negative bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus).
The disease belongs to the group of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or STI (sexually transmitted infections).
Humans are currently the only relevant reservoir of the pathogen.
Occurrence: The infection occurs worldwide. It is most prevalent in developing countries.
The pathogen is unstable in the environment, i.e. outside the human body it becomes inactive very quickly.
Transmission of the pathogen (route of infection) occurs almost exclusively through sexual intercourse.
Often, other sexually transmitted infections such as infections with chlamydia exist at the same time.
The pathogen enters the body parenterally (the pathogen does not penetrate through the intestine), i.e. in this case, it enters the body through the sexual organs (genital infection), through the pharynx (pharynx), the rectum (rectum) and the conjunctiva (conjunctiva of the eyes).
Human-to-human transmission: Yes.
The incubation period (time from infection to onset of disease) is usually 3-10 days. A large proportion of those affected have no symptoms, so the infection becomes more widespread.
Gonorrhea can be divided into two distinct phases:
- Acute phase – is called “anterior gonorrhea” in men and “lower gonorrhea” in women.
- Chronic phase – is called “posterior gonorrhea” in men and “upper gonorrhea” in women.
In addition, it is still spoken of the newborn blenorrhea (ophthalmia neonatorum). This refers to inflammation of the eyes in newborns by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The infection occurs due to infection by the mother during birth. To prevent neonatal blenorrhea, newborns usually receive preventive care in the form of so-called Crede’s prophylaxis. This involves dripping one percent silver nitrate solution or an aqueous antibiotic into both eyes of the newborn. Without this prophylaxis, there is a risk that an infected newborn will go blind.
Sex ratio: The disease is diagnosed three times more often in males than in females (in Europe). This is due to the fact that almost half of the cases (41%) affect men who have sex with men (MSM). The affected man notices the disease immediately as a result of painful acute urethritis (inflammation of the urethra), while the disease can also be asymptomatic in women.
Peak incidence: the disease occurs predominantly in young people (between 15 and 24 years; about 41%) and in middle age (between 25 and 50 years), with women tending to be younger and men older.
Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) is 12.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year (Europe).
The disease does not lead to immunity.
Course and prognosis: The disease is often asymptomatic (especially in women). Without adequate therapy, complications such as sterility (infertility) may occur.A diagnosis and, if necessary, therapy of sexual partners should be carried out.
A vaccination against gonorrhea is not yet available.
In Germany, the disease is not reportable according to the Infection Protection Act (IfSG).
