Gonorrhea is a curable sexually transmitted disease (STD). It is the second most commonly reported bacterial STD in the United States, following chlamydia. In 2011, 321,849 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The highest rates of gonorrhea are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans.
Gonorrhea can spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID affects more than 1 million women in the United States every year and can cause tubal (ectopic) pregnancy and infertility in as many as 10 percent of infected women. In addition to gonorrhea playing a major role in PID, some health researchers think it adds to the risk of getting HIV infection.
NIAID Research on Gonorrhea
NIAID continues to support a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program of research on Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococci). Researchers are trying to understand how gonococci infect cells while evading defenses of the human immune system. Studies are ongoing to find
- How this bacterium attaches to host cells
- How it gets inside cells
- Gonococcal surface structures and how they can change
- Human response to infection by gonococci
More NIAID Research on Gonorrhea
Antimicrobial (Drug) Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gonorrhea)