Gonorrhea pathophysiology

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sara Mehrsefat, M.D. [2]

Pathophysiology

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by a gram negative diplococcus (Neisseria gonorrhea). It can infect both men and women. Neisseria gonorrhoeae is usually transmitted via the sexual contact.

• Vaginal
• Anal
• Oral

The main pathogenicity of the Neisseria gonorrhea obtains from the surface pili. The pili helps Neisseria gonorrhea to attach on the surface of the urethra, fallopian tubes and endocervix and survive the host defence mechanism by following methods:

• Preventing phagocytosis by neutrophils
• Producing IgA protease
• In pregnancy, gonococcus can be transmitted to the fetus at the time of delivery. This results in infection of the conjuctiva. This appears 1 to 4 days after birth as severe discharge with marked swelling and redness of the eyelids and conjunctiva.

Associated Conditions

Untreated infections may progress to fibrosis. The fibrotic reaction, depending on its location can lead to a variety of complications

• Urethral stricture
• Fallopian tube stricture
• Tubo-ovarian abscess
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
  • Acute bowel obstruction
  • Infertility
  • Peritonitis