Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
American Academy of Pediatrics
Article

Gonococcal Infections

Nneka A. Holder
Pediatrics in Review July 2008, 29 (7) 228-234; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.29-7-228
Quiz
Nneka A. Holder
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • Quiz
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF
  1. Nneka A. Holder, MD, MPH*
  1. *Center for Adolescent Health, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Akron, Ohio

Objectives

After completing this article, readers should be able to:

  1. Understand the clinical importance of recognizing and treating gonococcal infections.

  2. Describe the different types of infections that are caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

  3. Differentiate between cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease.

  4. Discuss treatments for gonococcal infections.

Causes

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a gram-negative diplococcus that is oxidase-positive and produces beta-lactamase. (1) This quality differentiates it from other species of Neisseria because it requires iron for growth and can metabolize only glucose, lactate, and pyruvate. It is nonmotile and does not produce spores. There are at least 70 different strains, characterized by the absence or presence of pili, opacity of colonies, auxotyping (nutritional requirements), serotyping, and genotyping. (2) Only humans have been reported to be infected by N gonorrhoeae.

Pathophysiology

Gonococcal infections tend to be associated with the acute onset of symptoms and purulent mucosal drainage due to the organism's ability to recruit polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Piliated strains increase adherence and virulence of such organisms by enhancing their attachments to human cells (including sperm). Opacity-associated proteins also affect virulence by enhancing gonococcal adherence to host cells. The organism attacks cuboidal or columnar epithelial surfaces on mucosal cells. Subsequent mucosal damage and invasion lead to an inflammatory response due to PMN recruitment. N gonorrhoeae also has an affinity for blood. Hence, transmission may occur from lower genital structures (vagina and cervix) to higher genital structures (endometrium, fallopian tubes, ovaries) and possibly spread into the peritoneal space via refluxed menstrual blood or by attachment to sperm. It is common for female patients who have a gonococcal infection to present during menses with fever due to the inflammatory response.

Epidemiology

Gonococcal infection is the second most common bacterial disease in the United States that is classified as a reportable and notifiable infection. In 2005, the national rate was reported …

Individual Login

Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

Institutional Login

via Institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.

Offer Reprints

PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics in Review: 29 (7)
Pediatrics in Review
Vol. 29, Issue 7
July 2008
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Gonococcal Infections
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Gonococcal Infections
Nneka A. Holder
Pediatrics in Review Jul 2008, 29 (7) 228-234; DOI: 10.1542/pir.29-7-228

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Quiz
Share
Gonococcal Infections
Nneka A. Holder
Pediatrics in Review Jul 2008, 29 (7) 228-234; DOI: 10.1542/pir.29-7-228
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Objectives
    • Causes
    • Pathophysiology
    • Epidemiology
    • Burden of Illness (Table 1)
    • Screening Methods and Diagnostic Tests
    • Treatment
    • Summary
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • Quiz

Related Articles

  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Evaluation of the Performance of the Cobas CT/NG Test for Use on the Cobas 6800/8800 Systems for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Male and Female Urogenital Samples
  • Throat Infections
  • Phosphoryl Moieties of Lipid A from Neisseria meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae Lipooligosaccharides Play an Important Role in Activation of Both MyD88- and TRIF-Dependent TLR4-MD-2 Signaling Pathways
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Encephalitis in Previously Healthy Children
  • Venous Thromboembolism in Pediatrics
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Gynecology
    • Maternal and Fetal Medicine
    • Gynecology
  • Infectious Disease
    • Sexually Transmitted Infections
    • Infectious Disease
  • Urology
    • Urology
    • Genitourinary Disorders
  • Fetus/Newborn Infant
    • Fetus/Newborn Infant
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • ABP Content Specifications Map
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics