Gonorrhea (임질)

There are a handful of misconceptions about why gonorrhea is also known as the clap. Applause and hand-smacking references aside, the truth is that the slang term is derived from the 16th-century French word clapoir, referring to a sexual sore. Probably it was the chancre of syphilis, another disease often present with gonorrhea. In gonorrhea, the most common signs, including a burning sensation when urinating, blood in the urine, and vaginal discharge, are less noticeable and usually briefly present. This sexually transmitted infeciton (STI) affects roughly 1 million Americans every year, the majority of them under the age of 30. Symptoms appear 1 to 14 days after exposure.

 

The infection is caused by a strain of bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which thrives in the mucous membranes found in the genital tract and urethra and causes inflammation. Up to half of all gonorrhea cases go undetected, because symptoms can be mild and usually clear up on their own within a short time―a week to a few months. But it's important that sexually active adults get screened for STIs. In many women, gonorrhea can spread throughout the reproductive tract, affecting the fallopian tubes and ovaries. This condition, called pelvic inflammatory disease, may lead to pain and sterility(불임).

 

Gonorrhea is diagnosed through a test of the urine or vaginal discharge. In the majority of cases, one course of penicillin or tetracycline is enough to wipe out the bacteria. However, because of the microbes' growing resistance to antibiotics, a larger dose or stronger medication, such as cefoxitin, is sometimes required.

 

 

The bacterium that causes gonorrhea was discovered by the German physician Albert Neisser (1855 - 1916) in 1879. He went on to identify the bacterium responsible for leprosy.

 

In rare cases, gonorrhea contracted through sexual contact can lead to eye infections.

 

Resistant strains of gonorrhea appeared in servicemen returning from duty in the Vietnam War.