Transcript Nebraska methodist college microbiology students

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Gonorrhea

What do you know?
What Are Microorganisms?

A. History
 Spontaneous Generation- Greeks
 Oldest form of life on Earth – 3.5 billion years!

B. Many diverse organisms
 Prokaryotes
○ Bacteria
○ Archaea
 Eukaryotes
○
○
○
○
Algae
Protozoa
Fungi: molds
Helminths
 Infectious Agents
○ Viruses
○ Viroids
○ Prions
How Are Microorganisms
BENEFICIAL to Human Beings?

Humans could not exist on earth
 Help protect against diseases
The entire surface of our body contains
bacteria
 The study of microorganisms advances
medical and scientific research

 Easy to study, yield quick results.
 “What is true of an elephant is also true of
bacteria” – Dr. Jacques Monod
How Are Microorganisms
HARMFUL to Human Beings?

Responsible for more human deaths
than any war
 1918-1919 - Influenza
○ More Americans killed than in WWI, WWII, the
Korean War and the Vietnam War combined!
 1346-1350 - Plague
○ 25 million European deaths
 Smallpox
○ 10 million deaths over past 4,000 years
What is Gonorrhea?

The word Gonorrhea comes from two Latin
words.
 gonos- meaning seed
 rhoe- meaning flow

A sexually transmitted bacterial infection
 Attacks mucous membranes of the body
○ mouth, ears, nostrils, eyes, genitalia, and anus
 Resides in warm moist body cavities
○ both men and women

Causes most female infertility
 Also called “the clap” or “the drip”
History of Gonorrhea

Discovery
 Described in early writings
○ Warnings against "unclean discharge from the body" appear in the Bible
 Discovered in 1879 by Albert Neisser
 German immunologist Paul Ehrlich
 Since then, 5 types of the gonococcus identified

Background
 The history - long and dates back many years
 Earliest cases of sexually transmitted diseases related to gonorrhea
○ France - 1250’s
 Common among WWI recruits
○ More than 1 million cases per year reported during late 1970's,
 Now – around 342,250 per year

Today's Concerns
 Its prevalence and resistance to antibacterial treatment
 20th century - First successful treatment of Gonorrhea

Other Forms of Treatment Used in Past
 Mercury
 Silver nitrate
Pathophysiology


Plasmids carry penicillinase
Genes transmitted between different subtypes
 Subtypes

By transmitting genes
 surface protein genes
○ high host susceptibility to reaction
 Makes the genes resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics for 20
years

Signs appear in:




lower genital tract
Pharynx
Rectum
male and female urethra
Symptoms of Gonorrhea

Symptoms in men
 Unusual discharge from
penis
○ Discoloration
○ Pus-like
 Itching
 Urination
○ Painful
○ Frequent
○ May contain blood
 Pain and swelling
○ Testicles
○ Glands of the groin

Symptoms in women
 Painful urination
 Fever
 Unusual vaginal
discharge
 Bleeding between
periods
 Vomiting
 Belly pain
Symptoms of Gonorrhea – contd.

Silent Symptoms
 You may have it and not
know it.
 Symptoms may be so
mild you don’t notice

Mild/ non-specific
symptoms
 Could be mistaken for:
○ Bladder infection
○ Vaginal infection
○ Urinary Tract Infection
(UTI)

Rectal Infection




Discharge
Anal itching
Soreness
Bleeding
How to Test for Gonorrhea
Sample of body fluid or urine
 Types of tests used to detect

 Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT)
 Nucleic acid hybridization test (DNA probe
test, molecular probe test)
 Gonorrhea culture
 Gram stain

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay (ELISA, EIA)
Treatment of Gonorrhea

Historically
 Injection of mercury



First successful – 20th century
Antimicrobial-resistant strains - large obstacle
New strain
 Immune to antibiotic - fluoroquinolone
 Only guaranteed treatment
○ shot of the cephalosporin antibiotic.

Antibiotic treatment dependent on:
 strain
 severity
 geographical location

Important to finish entire course of the medication
 Regular doses
 Undertreated

If treated early
 should not cause long-term problems
Prevention of Gonorrhea
Prevention of Gonorrhea
Abstinence
 Safe sex
 Talk to your partner about STD’s
 Get tested
 Don’t have more than one sexual
relationship at a time
 Contraception

 Latex or Polyurethane condoms
○ must be in place before sexual activity
 Male and females condoms available
References

Behrman, A. J., & Shoff, W. H. (2009). Gonorrhea. Retrieved March 2,
2010, from emedicine from WebMD, http://emedicine.medscape.com/a
rticle/782913-overview

Gonorrhea Test. (2009, April 27). Retrieved March 3, 2010, from
WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/gonorrhea-test

Nester, E. (2009). Microbiology: a human perspective (6th edition). New
York: Mc Graw Hill Company.

Packiam, M. (2009). Mouse Strain-Dependent Differences in
Susceptibility to Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection and Induction of
Innate Immune Responses. Infection and Immunity , 433-40.

What is gonorrhea? What causes gonorrhea? (2009). Retrieved on
March 2, 2010, from Medical News Today, http://www.medicalnewstod
ay.com/articles/155653.php