Oral Gonorrhea Symptoms (cont.)Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhDDr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MDMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. Of note, N. gonorrhoeae is not a lonely pathogen. The bacteria frequently are associated with two other organisms, Treponema pallidum (that causes syphilis) and chlamydia trachomatis (that causes chlamydia infections). Most doctors treat the patient with antibiotics that will kill N. gonorrhoeae, but also will kill these other two STD organisms (syphilis and chlamydia) at the same time. Consequently, it is possible (but infrequent) to get infected with all three from one sexual encounter; more often only two are transferred, but doctors rarely know which two, so they treat for all three STD infections. For uninfected partners, oral sex is relatively safe (except for the occasional gastrointestinal pathogen that may contaminate the genital or anal/rectal areas). Many doctors think that the risks of oral sex outweigh the advantages unless sexual partners agree to protection methods, especially if the partners are new to each other. Even then there is still some risk of accidental infection if the condom or barrier leaks. For the new kids on the sexual block, don't believe anyone that says oral sex is safe without protection. Protect yourself and your partner(s). If there is any evidence of gonorrhea that you can see (whitish or light yellowish discharge from a partner's penis, vagina, or anal/rectal area), the best choice is not to have oral or any other kind of sex until the person is disease-free. Yep, for first timers and those that might buy or sell oral sex, it might be a good practice to turn on the light and take a look at where your mouth (or some other anatomical part) is headed! REFERENCES: Last Editorial Review: 12/3/2010 |
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