Oral Gonorrhea

Many people, especially teenagers, consider oral sex as “safe sex”, but this is not always the case as safe sex is not just about preventing undesired pregnancy. “Safe sex” also means avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, chlamydia, syphilis, or gonorrhea. Oral sex is in fact not “safe sex” if a condom is not used since any contact with the genitals of an infected person is risky. One of the dangers is oral gonorrhea.

Transmission

If you have oral sex with a person infected with gonorrhea, you risk getting the infection in the throat. It is usually the greatest risk of being infected if you give oral sex to a man (penis), while the risk of infection is less if you give it to a woman. There is also a risk of infection if one kisses a person who has gonorrhea in the throat. Therefore, one might conclude that there is no kind of sex or contact that is completely safe.

Symptoms of Oral Gonorrhea

Gonococcal infection in throat and mouth is called oral gonorrhea. It is not uncommon for a person who has oral gonorrhea, to get the infection in other parts of the body, such as penis, rectum, or vagina. Most of the infected people will not experience any specific symptoms or ailments in their throat. However, if symptoms appear, it will usually be in the form of pharyngitis (inflammation of the back of the throat), sore throat. In some cases, symptoms resemble a general bacterial infection, such as fever and swollen lymph nodes around the neck. There are many of the above symptoms that may also be applicable to other diseases, and thus a sore throat does not necessarily mean gonococcal infection. It is, therefore, necessary to do a test at the doctor, to clarify whether you have oral gonorrhea.

Complications of Oral Gonorrhea

When a gonococcal infection in the throat is undetected and untreated, it can spread to the bloodstream and cause serious complications, called disseminated gonococcal infection. This is a serious condition that can lead to damage to the heart, joints, and central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). This is a serious condition, and your health may be severely deteriorated and can cause prolonged illness and even death.

Treatment

The types of antibiotics that are effective in the treatment of the genital and rectal gonorrhea are not necessarily effective against oral gonorrhea. Therefore, a person who is infected with oral gonorrhea may get some other antibiotics to treat the infection. If you have this type of infection, there is a high probability that you have been attacked several places in the body, and you will, therefore, be prescribed with antibiotics against this, too. Chlamydia is a common companion to gonorrhea infection and it is very common to get treatment for it simultaneously.

Gonorrhea Home Test

A test kit for gonorrhea is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), particularly if you belong to a risk group that has high rates of gonorrhea. This test is easy to take at home and test results are very reliable. If you take to get a positive result, it is strongly recommended that you visit your doctor or clinic as quickly as possible to prevent further development of the disease. If you get a positive result, it is also important to inform your previous and current sexual partners. By doing this, you can prevent more cases of infection and ensure that they receive treatment as soon as possible.

References: 

www.medicinenet.com/oral_gonorrhea_symptoms/views.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5176237/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29485543