Gonorrhea: ways of infection, symptoms, treatment

In this article, we consider the ways of infection with gonorrhea, the incubation period, signs and prevention.

This pathology is a very dangerous sexually transmitted disease. Illiterate and untimely treatment is fraught with the development of serious complications, one of which is irreversible infertility. It is generally believed that only a person who leads an erratic sex life can become infected with gonorrhea. However, it is not. Gonorrhea has several pathways of infection. For this reason, everyone should remember and comply with the full range of preventive measures.

How is infection with syphilis or gonorrhea occurs, consider below.

Pathogen features

Gonorrhea, called in common people a gonorrhea, begins to develop under the influence of gonococci, penetrating the human body. These microorganisms are pathogenic, they are rapidly spreading throughout the genitourinary system and cause negative health consequences.

It is known that the most common way of gonorrhea infection is through sexual contact.

Where are localized?

Gonococci are most often localized in the rectum, in the anus, vulva, urethra, cervical canal, eyes, nasopharynx.

The causative agents of the disease with equal success exist in the intercellular spaces and inside the cells of the body. This is due to their special structure. They have special growths with which they quickly move, clinging to tissue. In some cases, gonococci can be absorbed by other microorganisms, for example, trichomonads. The course of treatment for trichomoniasis promotes the exit of gonococci, as a result of which gonorrhea develops.

When does their death occur?

The causative agents of gonorrhea are able to exist in the environment. Their death occurs only when heated to a temperature of 56 degrees Celsius and above. Gonococci do not survive in direct sunlight.

These microorganisms cannot tolerate a dry environment. They are able to maintain their activity in biological secretions only as long as the latter retain moisture. Recent studies show that women are more likely to suffer from gonorrhea. Unprotected sexual contact with an infected partner causes infection in 98% of women, while men become infected only in 50% of cases. Thus, infection with gonorrhea is most often possible through sexual intercourse.

Sexual Infection

The main route of infection is unprotected sexual contact. It is important to note that infection can occur during sex in any form. Full penetration is also optional; transmission can also occur during petting.

Infection of women occurs much faster than men. This fact is due to the structural features of the genital organs. Microorganisms very quickly penetrate the cervix due to the folded structure of the vagina. Moreover, even full douching after intercourse does not allow you to remove all gonococci.

Who is more likely?

The probability of infection is much lower in men, since it is difficult for pathogens to get inside the human body. This is due to the fact that the urethral opening is quite narrow. Even if gonococci get into the urethra, they will be further washed out by sperm during ejaculation. A man can significantly reduce the risk of contracting gonorrhea if he goes to the toilet immediately after intercourse. However, the risk of infection is still great.

In women, during menstruation, an exacerbation of the disease occurs. The activity of microorganisms increases significantly. In this regard, sexual intercourse during this period greatly increases the risk of infection of a partner.

It is possible that gonorrhea can be transmitted through oral sex. It is not so easy for gonococci to enter the body through strong nasopharyngeal tissues. But if a person has immunity during this period and the protective functions of the body are reduced, infections are much easier to spread. Accordingly, there is a chance of getting sick with oral sex.

What are other ways to get gonorrhea?

Domestic infection

Very often, people are interested in the existence of a probability of infection by household ways. Microorganisms have low viability outside the human body, however, for some time they can remain active in the external environment.

There are several household ways of gonorrhea infection:

1. When using personal items of an infected person. Microorganisms can be transmitted through razors, washcloths, bedding, and towels. If one of the family members is sick with gonorrhea, it is recommended that a separate piece of soap be allocated to him, which should be stored away from toothbrushes.
2. When using one toilet. The toilet becomes a hotbed of bacteria. This method of spreading gonococci should be feared primarily by women.
3. When using other people's clothing. Wearing skirts, pants and even more underwear of a person infected with gonorrhea is strictly prohibited.
4. When visiting public places, such as baths, pools and saunas. All visitors to a public place are at risk if there is an infected person among them.
5. When using common utensils and cutlery. Gonococci in this case are localized in the nasopharynx, and the symptoms of infection resemble a sore throat.
6. When swimming in water. Cases of infection in this way are quite rare, however, such a probability cannot be completely ruled out. The most dangerous water bodies in which stagnant water.
7. With a kiss. This is how gonorrheal pharyngitis is transmitted .

Despite the fact that there are a lot of domestic ways of contracting gonorrhea, unprotected sexual intercourse remains the most likely.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

The incubation period of gonorrhea is from two days to two weeks.

Symptoms of the disease in men are as follows:

1. Urethritis develops - an inflammatory process that is localized in the urethra. A man begins to experience discomfort and pain during urination. In addition, there is a separation of purulent secretion.
2. In the absence of timely treatment, a man develops prostatitis. Edema of the scrotum is observed, pain in the lower abdomen appears, discomfort increases with the onset of an erection.

Routes of gonorrhea infection do not affect symptoms.

Manifestations in women

The most common manifestations in women are:

1. Purulent discharge from the vagina.
2. An inflammatory process localized in the bladder.
3. Redness of the mucous membranes of the vagina.
4. Painful manifestations in the lower abdomen.

We examined how gonorrhea is transmitted, and the symptoms of this pathology were also outlined.

Gonorrhea treatment

If the primary symptoms of gonorrhea are detected, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible, self-medication is strictly excluded.

Therapy of gonorrhea involves the use of antibiotics. The selection of the drug is carried out taking into account the severity of symptoms and the general health of the patient. Mostly, doctors prefer to use drugs included in the group of fluoroquinolones or cephalosporins.

The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the correct choice of the drug, its dosage and the duration of the course of treatment. If a patient is found to have intolerance to antibiotics, sulfonamides should be preferred.

Gonorrhea should be treated comprehensively and supplemented with antibiotics using local preparations in the form of pastes, gels and ointments. Reception of immunomodulators and physiotherapeutic procedures is also recommended.

It is important to undergo a full course of treatment, and not to stop it after the onset of relief. An interrupted course of therapy is fraught with the overflow of the disease into a chronic latent form, the detection and treatment of which is complicated by the acquired antibiotic resistance of gonococci. It is important to know in advance the ways of infection with gonorrhea in order to conduct competent prevention of the disease.

Infection prevention

Gonorrhea has many transmission routes. You can protect yourself and avoid infection with gonococci if you follow a few simple preventive rules:

1. During intercourse, you should definitely use a condom. Such a simple measure is one of the most effective in protecting against gonorrhea.
2. Erratic sexual intercourse significantly increases the risk of contracting a gonorrhea. To avoid infection, you should carefully monitor the health status of your partners. Better to give up messy relationships.
3. After sex with a person whose health you are concerned about, it is recommended that you take medication prophylaxis. The choice of drug and dosage should be carried out exclusively by a competent specialist.
4. Men to prevent infection immediately after sexual intercourse should visit the toilet and empty the bladder. Women can use intravaginal ointments.
5. Should regularly visit a doctor and undergo an examination. This will allow timely detection of infection, if it happened. It is important to remember that the effectiveness of the treatment of any disease primarily depends on the correct diagnosis and on-time therapy.
6. It should be borne in mind that the risk of contracting gonorrhea is significantly higher in people with weakened immune systems. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the protective system of the body with proper nutrition, sports, intake of vitamin and mineral complexes.

Ways of infection with syphilis and gonorrhea

Significant differences exist between common diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis.

Both diseases are transmitted mainly through sexual contact, but they have different pathogens. Gonorrhea develops when exposed to gonococci, while syphilis provokes the activity of the microorganism Treponema palladium.

Unlike gonorrhea, the symptoms of which develop already 2-10 days after infection and manifest as itching, burning and discharge of fluid from the anus and genitals, syphilis has several categories, each of which is characterized by a separate group of symptoms.

With primary syphilis, sores appear on the tissues, most often in the mouth, on the genitals, in the rectum. The secondary category follows the initial stage of the disease, develops several weeks after the chancres have healed. A person with secondary syphilis feels headaches, weakness. A rash appears, loss of appetite.

Ways of infection with syphilis and gonorrhea are very similar. With latent syphilis, a person still remains contagious, but the disease does not appear externally and can only be detected by conducting a laboratory blood test. Tertiary syphilis represents the final stage of the development of the disease. It is manifested by bone pain, anemia, fever, the appearance of non-healing ulcers.

Syphilis treatment also coincides with the treatment of gonorrhea - antibiotics of the penicillin or dioxicycline group are shown in combination with local drugs.

The main methods of syphilis prevention are similar to the case of gonorrhea: it is important to protect yourself from sexual intercourse and to avoid interaction with an infected person.

Everyone should know the ways of infection with gonorrhea.