Sexually Transmitted Diseases

8 Pages 1956 Words

mally found in the vagina, and more specifically, the cervix. It can also live in the tube (urethra) through which urine is drained from the bladder. Gonorrhea can even exist in the back of the throat and in the rectum. Testing for gonorrhea is done by swabbing the infected site and culturing the swab in the laboratory. The culture is positive when the gonorrhea bacteria are found to be growing on a culture plate. In the past, the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea was fairly simple. A single injection of penicillin cured almost everyone infected with this disease. Unfortunately, there are n!
ew strains of gonorrhea that have become resistant to various antibiotics (including penicillin), and are therefore more difficult to treat. Gonorrhea can still be treated by other injectable or oral medications.
Chlamydia is a bacteria that causes an infection that is very similar to gonorrhea in the way that it is spread and the symptoms it produces. Like gonorrhea, it is found in the cervix and urethra and can live in the throat or rectum. It is very destructive to the fallopian tubes and can cause infertility and tubal pregnancy. It can also cause severe pelvic infection. Chlamydia can be detected by cultures or certain slide tests. Unlike cultures, which require days of observation for the growth of the bacteria, the slide test can be performed fairly quickly. Most labs can have results within 24 hours. However, the infection may be very mild and the more rapid slide test results can be fals...