gonorrhoea

A false-colour electron micrograph of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae virus. This bacterium is the cause of the common sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea which operates through inflammation of the genito-urinary tract. The condition is treated with antibiotics, although in ever-increasing doses to combat resistant strains.

Common sexually transmitted disease arising from infection with the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes inflammation of the genito-urinary tract. After an incubation period of two to ten days, infected men experience pain while urinating and a discharge from the penis; infected women often have no external symptoms.

Untreated gonorrhoea carries the threat of sterility to both sexes; there is also the risk of blindness in a baby born to an infected mother. The condition is treated with antibiotics, though ever-increasing doses are becoming necessary to combat resistant strains.